Run Away With Me
by ThinksInWords
Summary: Eponine Thenardier did not know Gabriel Enjolras. Marcus told her about him, but that did not explain enough. She learns everything on the road instead. Two strangers, on a trip across the country. Modern E/E.
1. Prologue

Run Away With Me

Summary: Eponine Thenardier did not know Gabriel Enjolras. Marcus told her about him, but that did not explain enough. She learns everything on the road instead. Two strangers, on a trip across the country. Modern E/E.

Disclaimer: This is not mine. Honestly, it is all Victor Hugo.

AN: So, this happened. I watched the movie and was struck with this idea. Personally, I blame Aaron Tveit – because I can. Some of the names have indeed been changed to suit the more modern times, but hopefully everyone is recognizable. I have not yet read the book, so this is all the musical, the movie, and my vivid imagination (and what I learned from reading fanfic. Lots of it.)

Prologue

Of course she has heard the gossip going around on campus. Well, she has heard some of it, and she can only imagine what else is being said.

_That group of gays caused the riot. Those radicals and their need to get married, when clearly it is against God's laws. Will they never learn?_

It makes her laugh a little bit, because somehow the whole point of the protest has been buried underneath the violence and an ill-timed confession from Grant Aires, who announced his feelings for one of his friends in the middle of a rally.

_It is such a waste, that Grant guy. He is so dreamy, and he is so funny. All the good ones are on the wrong team. It doesn't even matter about the drinking. _

The protest was actually about the college's policy when it came to same-sex relationships and their policies about women, the ancient laws that told women they were not allowed to have men in their room. Men had no such laws against them, because that was just how their school worked.

_Nobody follows those rules anymore. Nobody even cares. _

There were many of those "little" inequalities in their school. Housing for couples was only allowed for straight couples. The fraternities had most of the power when it came to changing the rules of the campus. The student government is still corrupt and none of the women on campus are in a position of any power.

_Things are pretty good. I mean, my boyfriend's a [insert random frat here]. _

As a scholarship student herself, she particularly hated the limitations of a scholarship at this university. She had to cough up everything except for only the basic tuition herself, and with two jailed parents and frozen assets, and two younger siblings who needed the occasional extra, she had no money to spare.

_Look, it's that scholarship trash again. Really, shouldn't she have dropped out of college about now? At least she would have stopped torturing us with her wardrobe. I can't even say that it's last season, I think it's about ten years ago. _

Everybody looked down on her and people like her here, just because she was poor – they did not even know that her parents were criminals. The only person who had even really talked to her since she started last year was Marcus.

_Marcus P. Murphy is one of the hottest tickets you'll get on this campus. His family is filthy rich. That blonde twat he's seeing is just a phase, because she does not have the background to make a guy like that happy. She's not even a member anywhere, and his family would never approve. I'll get my chance soon enough. _

Anytime someone talked about Marcus, her heart ached. He was the kindest, gentlest soul on campus and he made her feel like someone actually cared about her presence at school. She didn't even care about the stupid money, and while the way he looked occasionally made her stomach flutter, it was not the main attraction.

_Did you see that scholarship tramp following him around? I bet she's whoring herself out so she can stay here. He totally feels sorry for her. _

The words about her don't even hurt her that much anymore. She's heard all of them before, those words and many more like them. She hates hearing them talking about her and Marcus, because while she knows it must just be pity, she really wants it to be something more than that. She wants him to genuinely care about her.

_I guess it's good that he's getting this out of his system before we start dating. _

She's in love with him, and she is fully aware of how pathetic she is. He barely knows her as a person, insists on calling her "Nina" because he thinks it's cute, and he is so far out of her league that he might as well be on a different planet. He is in love with Cosette "the Lark" Foster of all people. It is never going to happen, and that hurts.

_His association with those idiots will have to end too. Their protests and rallies are only going to get him into trouble. It is not going to change anything anyway. _

Marcus is a part of the Amies, a group on campus that has made it their mission to improve living conditions and equality for everyone. He is the right hand man of their leader, a serious blond guy who always rolls his eyes when she shows up, no doubt because he knows that she will have another message from Cosette for Marcus, distracting him from more important business. Blondie is never going to get laid!

"Nina," a vaguely familiar voice distracts her from her daydreams.

"That's not my name," she takes a deep breath, facing Blondie and his golden locks.

There is an awkward silence, one that stretches beyond the thirty seconds mark before he actually realizes that it is his turn to say something.

"I just heard Marcus calling you that," he shrugs, as if this is something trivial rather than her heart being pulled onto her sleeve for everyone to see. "Look, I am not here to argue about your name. I just wanted to ask you to come with me. The protest went in the wrong direction, and now I am being asked to leave campus for the summer sessions until I start law school in the fall. I am not welcome at home, and I think we should go on a road trip together. You clearly need some distance from Marcus."

He is talking like there are absolutely no kinds of emotion involved in this story, when it is obvious to anyone with a soul that emotions are at the basis of this story. He is practically a robot when he is not passionately lecturing about equality, which is the strangest conundrum she has ever faced. He seems like a passionate man until he starts talking to someone in person, and he seemingly has no idea how romantic feelings work in practice. It is as if he has only read the theory somewhere and has never actually experienced anything of the like in real life. He is a curious mix, and an asshole.

"Excuse me," she is not having any of his bullshit.

"He is never going to love you back," he delivers the painful truth as if it is just any other sentence to speak. "You need time to deal with that. Come with me."

Wow, has this guy ever even talked to a woman before? Curiously enough, the Amies are all men, even though several of the issues that they address only concern women. She wonders if all of the Amies are men because Blondie has alienated or insulted all of the women that ever attempted to join their group. It seems very likely at this point.

"Why would you even want me to come with you," she is suspicious of anyone's motives.

"I do not want to go on a road trip by myself," he starts with the undoubtedly insulting motivation for his words. "All of the Amies are going home for the summer, or they are staying with a significant other. You are the only person I know who would be free."

Of course that would be the line that he comes up with – she is his only choice, the only option that he has. He does not even know her name, for Pete's sake.

"I have family, you know," she is indignant at this point.

"You cannot stay with your parents," he speaks casually as she wonders just how much he knows. "Or you would have done so before. Your siblings have plans, or so Marcus says. He is actually the one who said that you might be interested in getting away."

Fortunately enough, there are no embarrassing details about her parents – nobody knows where they are and she wants to keep it that way. She would lose everything if the truth came out – maybe lying about her parents on her applications had not been the best idea, but dead parents sounded more inspirational than criminal ones.

"I have no travel money," she continues to resist the offer.

"I will pay for everything," he offers, and she is stunned because that is not something that people do – ever. "My parents give me a generous allowance every month, and I am getting triple the money if I do not show up at their place the entire summer, because the story about the protest has spread and people will talk."

Everyone has a story; she has heard people saying as much before. She has just always figured that life is better for rich people – it certainly was better for her back when her father owned several fancy hotels and her parents still loved her. Apparently shitty parents exist in the world of the wealthy as well. The world is different than she thought.

"Where would we even go," she asks, moving on to the crazier questions.

"We can decide that together when we leave," he shrugs, a peace offering. "I really don't have anywhere I particularly want to go, but maybe you know something."

She has never even thought about it, because she has never really had the chance to visit any place in years. It has not been a real option for her in years, and she has long let go of the idea that she will ever get to see the world. Now, apparently, seeing at least some of the world is not only possible, but it is actually going to happen, and soon. She is going to get to see these places she has only heard about. Where should they start?

"I have no idea either," she looks at him for a brief second.

"But, you'll go with me," he asks, a beatific smile starting to form on his face.

She can see the appeal now. That smile could kill a girl – the little death.

"Alright, I will go with you," the words tumble out of her mouth before she can even think about it. "I'll go pack my bags. We leave tomorrow."

This is her feeble way of trying to assert some dominance after she has already given in to him, just because of the transformation that a simple smile achieved. He somehow turned into a tolerable guy just because of that smile. It changed everything.

"That's what I was planning," he smiles that smile at her.

She is doomed.

AN: I have a few chapters already written, but I won't post it unless people actually want to read it. Otherwise I'll just take it down and rewrite or scrap the whole thing.


	2. Chapter One

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: I still don't own a thing. Barely started reading the brick.

AN: I cannot believe this. Thank you all so very much for the lovely response to the prologue. I NEVER expected this much enthusiasm. I moved up my next update for that reason. Thank you all!

(I made a minor edit to the first chapter at the suggestion of the lovely **Bardess of Avon**)

Chapter one: In which Blondie develops some kind of identity

It is only ten minutes into their trip, and she already knows that she just might have made the biggest mistake of her life. She is a wily girl, she knows that much – any girl growing up with the Thenardier family has to be – but getting into a car with a practical stranger for a trip that might take months can only be a bad decision.

"What's your name, anyway," she breaks the awkward silence.

"Did I not mention that," he wonders, a trace of a wry grin on his face. "My name is Gabriel Victor Enjolras, and you can make of that what you like."

He is basically giving her permission to call him by whatever horrid nickname she can think of. Only, there is not enough ammunition to think of something truly dreadful. To be honest, she kind of loves his name, because it suits him well. Gabriel is one of the angels after all, and this Gabriel is a terrible angel all on his own – he wants to help people, but he tends to go a little far. His last name is French, just like hers, and she knows that she will be one of the few who will be able to pronounce it.

Still, she is going to go for a nickname, because she knows that he'll hate it.

"All right Gabe," she teases, watching him flinch at the nickname. "My name, in case you were wondering, is Eponine. Yes, Eponine. You do not call me Eppie or Nina, because the awesomeness that is my name does not suffer those terrible nicknames."

She only lets Marcus call her Nina because she can forgive him for just about anything and the nickname has kind of become their thing. He is equally annoyed when she attempts to tease him by calling him Marky Mark. She has gotten several chuckles out of Grant Aires and Joe Leigh that way, because they are both shits who immediately take such nicknames and use them to drive the person in question insane.

"That's a lovely name," he tells her, trying to sneak a look at her as he tries to keep his attention on the highway ahead at the same time. "What is your last name?"

That garners a flinch, because her last name is not exactly common, and as a pre-law student he is undoubtedly aware of the Thenardier crime spree that culminated in an almost endless chase through sewers and fancy gatherings and everywhere her parents managed to establish a cover. She had no interest in being reviled because her parents did not care about things such as laws, honesty, and integrity.

"Is that a sensitive subject," he notices, of course.

"You are practically a stranger," she tries to explain, because she can do that much.

"And the story is undoubtedly embarrassing in some way," he has already figured it out, like the lawyer he is undoubtedly going to become. "I will tell you a story about myself in return. That is what one does on a road trip, apparently."

Oh, wow, he is actually that kind of guy who has only experienced things in theory, by seeing them in movies, or – more likely – by reading about them in books. He seems like the kind of guy who could lose himself in a book. She is that kind of girl.

"Have you done research," she asks, trying to hide her giggles from him.

"I always do research on everything," he tells her as if this is no big deal. "So, it's my turn for the embarrassing story, and you will tell me your name afterwards. Here goes."

He takes a deep breath, as if he is getting ready to face the gallows – or public humiliation of some kind. So she knows that he is offering up something really significant here, something bad enough for it to be equal to her name.

"I am the most inexperienced person that you will ever know," he blushes like a little schoolboy, and she finds it so sweet. "I have never been with a woman, and my virgin lips, as the boys call them, have never been kissed. I have never really felt that interested in anyone, and I am incapable of talking to most women."

Yes, that would indeed be seen as excruciatingly embarrassing. The humiliation of his friends knowing about this and teasing him about it would be enough to keep him from mentioning it to anyone else. He tells her this now, though.

She almost understands this, because he seems extremely weird around women, and his politics and protests appear to be his only interest. He must be completely adrift without them, being sent away from the university and spending his time with a young woman who is basically a stranger. Is this Gabriel trying to repent for what went wrong with his latest protest? Is he trying to torture himself with her presence?

"My name is Eponine Marie Thenardier," she speaks up, neglecting to mention anything about his confession so that he will not feel worse than he already does. "You might be aware of my parents and their dastardly deeds."

A touch of humor is strange in this situation; still, it is the only way in which she can talk about this without going a little bit bananas every time it is mentioned. She thinks of Gavin, who is barely ready for middle school, and Zelda, who is almost ready to graduate high school. Her kid sister is going to be a high school senior after this summer break, and she has absolutely no prospects for a decent college unless she manages to snatch a cheerleading scholarship out from under her teammates. Gavin has always been the smart one in the family, so there is no need to worry about him.

Still, she always worries at thoughts of them, living with a random foster family because their parents could not love them enough to stay on the right track.

"I am aware," he tells her, a short look at her. "I, however, do not see why this should make people think differently about you. You are still the same, smart young woman who works extremely hard to get an education. It is admirable."

At this point, they are just going down the highway in no particular direction – at least not one that she knows of. They are getting close to an argument, because she cannot stand this ridiculous naivety from someone who is supposed to know better, from someone who is actively fighting against things just like this.

"You are adorable," she huffs at his naivety. "That is not how the world works. I have been judged for my parents' mistakes for most of my life. That's how it works."

She does not want to talk about this – this is the reason why she does not tell people about her parents. It is all judgment and arguments from there, and nothing can be salvaged from there – never again. It is why Marcus will never know.

"I only meant to say that this does not change how I see you," he offers up.

"I can't believe that," she shrugs, because this offer seems as if he's making fun of her, and of this. "You cannot mean to say that absolutely nothing has changed."

In her disbelief, she barely notices him taking the exit to a gas station and a cheap diner, even though they have not been on the road that long. Maybe he just wants to argue without risking him wrecking the rental car – she does not know him well enough to figure out the reasons behind most or any of his actions.

"I guess I have a better understanding of you now," he is pulling over now.

"You don't know me," she bites at him, already regretting her decision to come along.

Why did she even listen to this poor little rich boy and his stupid offer? She should have been ruder to him, she should have told him to fuck off. She should not have been moved by a smile on an always-stern face, or by his story of distant parents who cared more about reputations than about the mental welfare of their own son. Somehow his passion in his speeches on campus has saddled her with a stupid weakness for his words.

"You don't know me either," his voice is gentler than hers.

"You are not that much of a mystery Gabriel Victor Enjolras," all of these things she says in a perfect French accent, just as grandmere taught her years ago.

She has to start singing, because his theme song has been in her head for ten minutes.

"Poor little rich boy, all the couples have gone," she teases, knowing him to be one of the few holdouts who has no relationship. "You wish that they hadn't, you don't wanna be alone. But they wanna kiss and they got homes of their own. Poor little rich boy, all the couples have gone, they've gone, they've gone."

Her voice is not perfect, and she does not sing in front of people often. The grin on his face at something that is supposed to be an insult confuses her. Maybe he is crazy enough to like her voice, and maybe he thinks that there is something wrong with her.

"I don't have a girlfriend," he goes on as if he has not been insulted. "Indeed, I feel hesitant about loving my mother. I don't even feel that young. Yes, I know the song."

The knowledge of a relatively obscure song makes him a bit interesting. He has not been in any way unkind to her since they started this trip, even though she has mocked and teased him several times already. He has not been the kind of guy she had expected; but then again she had almost expected him to be this massive contradiction in terms.

"You are different than I expected," she muses.

"I always am," he scoffs, the first hint of real darkness that she's seen in him.

"Maybe we can both be different," she speaks wistfully, looking at the greasy diner.

She has always wanted to be more than the sum of her parts; has always wanted to be special and to mean something to someone. Maybe she could be something or someone, maybe his passionate speeches were the universe's way of telling her that she could work for equality, even though her scholarship would be at risk if she participated in anything this risky. Still, did it really matter enough to wreck her future?

"Let's just figure out where we are going first," Gabriel is holding a map.

There is hope for the future.

AN: Thanks again for all of the response and feedback. I have about 20K written so far, and I'm far enough ahead to update this twice a week. I'll try for Sundays and Thursdays. I love you all!


	3. Chapter Two

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Yep, it's still not mine.

AN: Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. I managed to stick to my Thursday update, but maybe the next one will wait until Monday or Tuesday. My darling sister is finally in the country for a few days.

Chapter two: In which Virgin Lips finally gets a thrill

She has always wanted to see New York – even though the idea is completely clichéd and she is not the cliché kind of girl. She just wants to see the city that never sleeps and feel what all of those fictional characters must have felt while they were surrounded by the greatness and vastness of the city. She wants to stand on Times Square, see a Broadway show maybe, and walk the streets of a city she has only heard about.

"I could show you around a bit," he tells her in response, as if he expected this.

"Of course you would have been there before," she is almost accepting of that situation, because he has had most of the perks that come with wealth.

He is offering to be her personal tour guide in a strange city, which is not something that she particularly needs, but it is a nice gesture all the same. Still, she can only respond to it with anger, because sometimes the unfairness of the world burns deep in her gut and the only way she knows to respond to that is with anger and envy.

Here is this generous man who is offering to share everything, this man who fights for equality so people like her can get a proper education, and she probably should be grateful for him. She has never been very good at doing what she should be doing.

"I do not mean to brag," he sends out another humble offer.

"So, New York is only about a full day's drive away," she asks, trying to smooth over her anger with trivia and her always-growing need for new knowledge.

She wants him to reply with some stream of meaningless facts about the city, some list of "did you know" facts that she has undoubtedly heard before just so she can relax in the relative comfort of him being who she expects him to be. He is supposed to be this passionate know-it-all who has been everywhere and seen everything. He has already confessed that he has not done everything – not even very normal things that she has done often. It almost makes her feel dirty – she has done the wrong things for mostly the right reasons, even though it left her less than pure for her true love.

Once upon a time, she took money for services rendered. She should regret that, but while she still feels dirty when she thinks of it occasionally, she cannot seem to regret that it did get Gavin and Zelda both some decent Christmas dinner and some of the presents that they had asked for – clothes and things for school that they actually desperately needed rather than wanted.

Right now she has no money to help them, and if things continue to not go her way in her junior year, she might have to pick up a job – even if she has been turned down in several different places already. She can keep trying. She will keep trying.

"If you don't mind driving for a bit later," he starts, and she is shocked that he is considering handing over the reins to her, even for a little bit. "We can make pretty decent time if we switch drivers and don't stop too often."

Does he even know who she is? Sure, she has her license, just like most other students she knows. She learned to drive at sixteen, and even though she has never been able to afford a car of her own, she has driven one from time to time. But she is a mess of a person, and he is trusting her with their lives. She feels a bit weird about that.

"However will we stay entertained," she teases, feeling odd as she does it.

"I have a few road trip mixes that I borrowed from Joe," he offers, not understanding that she was not talking about something as simple as music.

There are so many things going through her head at this point, as she thinks of ways in which she can react to this, and most of the mischievous suggestions are winning out over the more innocent ones. Honestly, her Thenardier side is just begging to give mister Virgin Lips the thrill of his life – and she is hoping that will not lead to a car crash.

"I was not talking about music," she puts on her sultry voice as she takes off her top, hoping that he won't wrap the car around a post in shock.

"What the hell are you doing," Gabriel is blushing and trying hard not to look at her.

"I was getting hot," she shrugs, hiding her smirk as much as she can. "I am wearing a bra. You know, a bra is remarkably similar to a bikini top. No need to avert your eyes."

She loves this bra, with its bright pink color and the bits of lace decorating it. It was on sale a few weeks ago, and she had so many old bras with overstretched fabric and underwire poking out into her flesh. She had bought it in the hopes of someone seeing it, and upon realizing that it was not going to be Marcus, she was hurt. Right now, she was thinking that Gabriel Enjolras might as well be the one to see it.

"I am trying really hard not to crash this car," he tells her, still red in the face.

"I am trying really hard to make you notice my tits," she tells him in response. "They have not been getting enough attention lately. Also, you need to learn some things about women, and this just seems like a prime opportunity."

He is left sputtering, and she actually feels comfortable sitting in her underwear, while the car is still going down the highway, currently passing Angola – which she really thought was a country or city in Africa. There is a wolf whistle from another passing car and she waves at the teenage boys that occupy the car in question.

"He is a very lucky man," she screams at them, pointing at Gabriel.

"What are you doing," Gabe seems to be focused on keeping the car in the right lane and not staring at her magnificent breasts. "Are you trying to make a spectacle of yourself?"

Actually, the goal does not have that much to do with the actual showing of a bra. She does not care about the teenagers ogling; she just likes to see the adorable flustered look on Gabriel's face. She likes making him lost for words; she likes leaving him blushing and unable to look her in the eye. Sure, she wants him to look at her breasts and like them, but just the idea of the virtuous Gabriel Enjolras being distracted by her is incredibly empowering. She feels like she has the power in this car, and she likes it.

"They are not seeing anything that they would not see on the beach," she giggles.

"But what about modesty and self-respect," he offers up, losing the blush. "You are, indeed, a very beautiful woman. Still, why would you make people only look at the superficial aspects of you, rather than your other talents?"

This speech makes her feel like shit, to be honest. She likes to feel beautiful and genuinely sexy, because she rarely gets to feel that way. Beauty is not important as long as she gets good grades and earns enough money to get Gavin a birthday present – in whatever way that she possibly can. Sexy is usually faked, because she has never felt appealing as a person. She has always been the substitute, the girl for hire that is used to forget about someone else – used as a placeholder.

Those teenagers thought she was hot. She, Eponine, was hot.

"I'll put it back on," she flinches, because she does not want to think.

He is silent, even though she really was hoping that he would protest the change. She knows that he will never do such a thing, but the dream was still nice.

"I messed it up again," he notices, like he was finally learning.

"Yes, you made a completely fuckery of it," she bites at him, forcibly yanking her shirt back over her head. "You just made me feel like shit. I can thank you for calling me beautiful, but your other words just made me feel worthless. And no, I don't want to tell you why exactly, and what my motives are for taking my shirt off."

What does he know about her life? He has no idea what her life has been like, and she really does not feel like telling him anything. Why should she tell this rude stranger anything? She does not owe him anything, and she has already told him her name, which is the biggest concession she has done in years.

Still, it is too late to leave. Maybe this was just a big mistake.

"I regret hurting your feelings," he immediately goes back to formal mode.

"Why are you responding like a robot," she rolls her eyes.

They are getting closer to Toledo now, and she has started a deafening silence that will undoubtedly last them for a while. As long as they are eventually getting to New York, she does not even care about the silence in this car – she does not need to be his friend in order to be his road trip partner. She will switch seats with him at some point, and maybe put on some music to stave off boredom.

But she will not care about some rich boy who does not know how hard life gets.

"I really am sorry, Eponine," he tells her softly.

He still does not know.

AN: I've been at home with the flu. Cheer me up with reviews? =P


	4. Chapter Three

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Surprise!

AN: Surprise! I updated early. Since I'm currently on chapter eleven, and I have most of the rest planned out, I figured an update was in order…

Chapter three: In which drivers switch and payback occurs

Nothing has been said since he apologized, just a little before Toledo.

They entered Pennsylvania a while ago, and somewhere around Grove City he offered her the driver's seat and she accepted. She has been driving for a while now, seeing as they have passed Clearfield and they are headed for Lewisburg. It feels like they should be on the home stretch, because the last few hours have stretched on and on.

"Are we just not going to talk to each other ever again," Gabriel speaks up.

"Oh, you'll give in eventually," she continues to focus on the road.

The only response that she gets to that is him turning up the radio so that it's practically blaring out an old Queen hit. She knows her classics, and she is extremely tempted to end the silence and start singing along – like she wants to do, badly.

"I work hard, every day of my life," suddenly Gabriel is singing along. "I work till I ache my bones. At the end – at the end of the day – I take home my hard earned pay…"

While Freddie Mercury keeps on singing at the top of his lungs, telling the story of his pain and loneliness, Gabriel was silent again. Once again, the silly blush is on his face, and she is incredibly amused at his shyness. He is actually quite talented, and his enthusiasm makes him even better, but she will not tell him that.

"They say I'm going crazy," she just goes for it and starts singing after a relatively short silence. "They say I've got a lot of water in my brain."

Now she is the one falling silent, since he is looking at her like he has never seen her before – which was pretty much true until about two days ago. Why their apparently mutual love of singing along to classic radio has not come up until now is actually a bit surprising, since they are car buddies. Car buddies should know about mutual likes when it comes to entertainment during a road trip.

They really did go about this thing all backwards – without knowing even as much as the basics about each other, such as names, ages, and silly habits and hobbies. They were bound to argue a lot during this trip, especially if they were going to be away for a few weeks, rather than a few days. Honestly, road trips had screwed up relationships much stronger than theirs – not that something like that was particularly difficult – and they really were just asking for trouble. Still, she wanted to keep going.

"Truth or dare," he is grinning at her – and it is a real sight to behold.

"What kind of dare would you do in a moving car," she teases him, focusing on the highway ahead of them rather than her road trip buddy next to her. "I mean, unless we go truth or strip, there really are not that many safe options around."

Oh, there is simply no way that he is even going for a simple truth or truth version of the game, because the mere suggestion of it had to be a joke. She likes that he is not as tense as he had seemed before, but she thinks that she knows him well enough now to say with confidence that he is not the kind of guy for juvenile party games, and he is not the kind of guy who would dare to ask her something embarrassing and fun.

"Let's do it," Gabriel was throwing all caution to the wind.

"Are you seriously willing to strip," she asks, mentally counting how many articles of clothing she is currently wearing. "Because I am all for this plan."

Yeah, she is still a hot-blooded woman and she is not going to argue against any kind of plan that is going to lead to him taking most of his clothes off. Honestly, if he is agreeing to this deal, she would like to get some reciprocity for her shirtless period earlier.

"No full nudity," he tells her, and she has to agree with that.

"I will take a truth," she offers, giving him the time to think of something good.

She is almost sure that she will be able to answer any question that he poses to her without much hesitation or shame, since he is nowhere near wicked enough to think of anything really good. She is the wicked one in this particular equation, and some time later on this trip, when they are not in a moving vehicle, she might actually try this game again with the dare option included. Those virgin lips can't be virgin that much longer.

Daring him to kiss a stranger sounds cruel, though, for some reason. Making him lose his kissing virginity to a stranger on a dare sounds like a cruel middle school prank, and she is better than that – she just has to remember that.

It is still strange that she is already so considerate of him.

"What's your major," he asks, the boring question that she expected.

"Of all the questions you could have asked, you ask that one," she just has to tease him about this. "I'm a psychology major, with minors in sociology and English literature."

This is the most practical profession she could attempt on a scholarship, while still being able to do something that she deems to be important. She has not seen Gavin's face in too long and she's more than a little bit broken inside because of not only this, but because of the many things she has done for her family. Her parents would be so proud of the many things that she has accomplished.

Only not really, because her parents are shitty people who did not really love them after all, and she is quite happy to blame them for most of the things that have gone wrong in her life. If she had had decent parents, she might not have had to use her body to get money. Honestly, even her short-lived stripping career would not have happened.

She was a sixteen-year-old with a really crappy fake ID, but she had to try.

"You want to help unfortunate children, ones like you," he astutely grasps.

"Shut up," she hopes that she sounds as friendly as she means to be, because while this is not meant to be hurtful, she still does not want to talk about it anymore. "Now it is my turn to ask you a question. What is your family like?"

There is a hint of awkwardness in him at that question, and apparently she has struck gold without even really meaning to. If he gets to attempt to deduce her motives for getting this particular kind of education, her competitive side comes out just enough to let her go a bit bananas in choosing the questions that she will ask. Also, she is genuinely curious about what kind of family would spawn someone like him.

"I almost want to take my shirt off instead," Gabriel starts talking, and she is totally not crossing her fingers for this. "However, I have a feeling that this is in no way the hardest question that you can think of, so if I give in now, I'll be in trouble later."

This and her excellent poker face is why nobody in high school wanted to play strip poker with her. Honestly, she was a very good hustler and her classmates were often too stupid and/or drunk to figure it out. She never said that she was all that honest, but she never went into the illegal territories either – being underestimated was not a crime.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she attempts to look innocent.

"Honestly, Marcus is an idiot for falling for that face," his attempted tease is only a little bit painful. "I mean, I'm seeing right through that innocent look."

Of course he mentions Marcus, because he is an idiot who does not talk to woman and does not understand how unrequited love can hurt like a bitch. She knows that trying to get him to understand this would be an almost impossible feat, and definitely something that is beyond her time limit on this trip. It is not beyond her skill set though, and if she does not completely hate him after their journey, she might actually attempt to be somewhat of a friend to him during their time at college.

Also, she can teach him to be a more sensitive human being – it is necessary.

"Don't try to get out of this by mentioning the reason I'm on this trip with you," she huffs.

"My parents are rich," he starts, flinching in sympathy for something that he actually does understand about her. "My father is a very conservative senator, and my mother comes from money. Of course, when the contract was signed, nobody told my father about her episodes and her mental instability. She has gotten good at hiding it, because it would end my father's career in politics. I am the radical oldest son, one who should have been a triumph. My sister is their little darling at the moment, even though she is secretly doing drugs and stealing my mother's pills."

What the fuck? Is he serious about this? This life sounds terrible, and it sounds like his family gatherings might be even worse than hers – the idea to stuff both families into the same house and watch them go crazy and/or kill each other comes into her head and makes her want to hide her silly giggles. Still, shit, she has misjudged him greatly.

"Fuck," she breathes, still not knowing what to say to that.

"There is not much of that happening there," he is suddenly making a joke. "Unless my mom is on the upswing, they don't interact very much at all. Just like your family, there is not all that much contact there, but there is a lot of embarrassment on our side."

First there is the surprise that he actually dares to make a stupid joke about it – once again she is faced with the facts, that she does not know him at all. Secondly, there is the recognition of the shame they must both feel about their family. He seems more embarrassed of his father – just like she is – than of his mother, because who can help something like that? Brain chemistry is a very complicated thing.

"I have two younger siblings," she tells him with pain in her heart. "They live with a foster family. I haven't seen them in years, really. I am not the right role model for them, so I am not allowed to visit. Zelda will be eighteen soon, so she can make her own decisions, but Gavin's years away from maturity and I miss his stupid face."

Those are not tears in the corner of her eyes – her eyes are just irritated from the dry air in the car. She is still very much focused on driving, and that is why she cannot look Gabriel in the eyes after her stupid little speech. Also, New York is coming closer and she has to think about that, rather than her heart, which is still in Ohio. It has been for years, even though she really has attempted to make Illinois her home – Chicago has always been one of her favorite cities. Still, she left her heart with her siblings.

"Where do they live," Gabriel asks, with a look that can be described as mischievous.

"In Columbus," she shrugs, hoping that the topic is done with now.

They have passed Milton and Lewisburg sometime during their argument or game – whatever they wish to call it at this point. Honestly, it is not as much fun as she had anticipated, so she is pretty hesitant to call it a game.

"What is stopping us from visiting them on the way back," the offer surprises her so much that she lets the sheer glee she feels at the thought slip past the carefully constructed wall she put up after realizing that it would not happen. "You obviously know where they live, and there should be no problem with us visiting them if we do not give the foster parents any trouble and stay in a hotel somewhere."

It sounds so simple the way he tells it, like people are actually reasonable and she is not the rightfully-claimed bad influence that she knows herself to be. She prefers for her siblings to have a proper education without ever even knowing the terrible things people occasionally have to do for money – the things that she did do for money. All of the money she made back then was used for birthday presents and anything else that her siblings needed. Then they were adopted, and nobody cared about her.

"Did you forget the part where the foster parents hate me," she asks, exasperated. "They have not let me send as much as a letter in years, because the letters I did send have been sent back to me unopened. I probably would not even recognize Gavin if I did see him, because he was just a kid the last time I saw him – four years ago!"

She is taking the nearest exit, because she can feel herself tear up and she is not in any state to operate a moving vehicle. Stroudsburg is pretty close, and she knows that Gabriel is ready to take over the wheel if she needs him to – which she kind of does.

"Then we'll use subterfuge," Gabe seems determined to help her for some reason.

"One day you'll figure out that the world is not all sunshine and puppies," she sounds almost as regretful as she feels. "I'd hate for that to happen on my account."

Finally, there is a place for her to pull over and have a decent cry. She is not aware of Gabriel or anything else happening. As soon she turns off the engine, she lets her head fall into her hands and tries to keep the loudest sobs from destroying her throat.

Her seatbelt is removed carefully, and warm arms surround her without her so much as realizing that Gabriel has moved from his seat. He smells like sweat, crappy roadside food and musty old books, with just a hint of a musky cologne smell. His arms surround her like she is breakable, until she burrows in when a particularly harsh sob hits – then, she finds herself in a cocoon of warmth and _man_. That is something new.

"I'll figure it out," he offers, even as she's staining his shirt with her tears.

"You can't solve everyone's problems," she hiccups through her sobs.

"I can damn well try," he makes the same solemn vow that she has heard him make at the few protests that she has attended. "You do deserve better. You should know that."

Right now, she cannot hear this sappy speech from him. For some reason he is good at being a comforting presence when girls or women are crying, something that most men find completely terrifying. It figures that he would be good at the complicated and difficult stuff, and that he would be terrible at the simplest things.

"Your shirt is all snotty," she wipes her face on it for good measure.

"Maybe I should take it off," he gets that she wants to joke about this, apparently.

Only then the bastard actually lets go of her for a few seconds to take the damn thing off, as some kind of twisted payback for her shirtless episode – because now she is the one who is blushing like a schoolgirl and completely unable to look him in the eyes.

She did not know that protesting for equality was what got men really fit. Thank heavens he didn't really have the gross bulging muscles that terrified her on some of the other Amies. Still, he was a lot less gangly and bookish underneath his clothes than she would have expected him to be – not that she had been thinking about this before.

"You shit," she shouts at him instead, still red in the face and wiping away tears.

"I learned from the best," he actually winks at her, the bastard.

Somehow she is laughing at that, and she knows that that was the intention behind this whole gag. Even though he does not put his shirt back on immediately and acts like he is completely comfortable with the whole deal, she knows that he is only doing this stupid thing for her. He is that kind of guy, and she should have remembered that – still, she gets out of the car to switch seats without as much as a thank you.

She has the feeling that he does not need one anyway.

AN: If no one reviews, chapter ten will take forever to get here. You'll like chapter ten.


	5. Chapter Four

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

AN: Thank you all for the lovely reviews. It really does motivate me to update sooner. I'm currently working on chapter thirteen. Since I'm so far ahead: more updates!

Chapter four: In which Gabriel and Eponine finally go there – there being NYC

"Can I please put my shirt back on," he finally cracks somewhere around the Newark turnpike, after having been ogled by horny mothers in traffic.

"Too many Twi-moms," she hands him his shirt, hoping that he won't do anything too stupid. "Since this stupid row of cars has not moved in about fifteen minutes, I think you can actually let go of the wheel long enough to put this thing back on."

The group of women in the car to their left starts frowning the very second she hands him his shirt, and she feels somewhat victorious over the group of them – even though they are probably more beautiful, smarter, wealthier, and have a better family and background than she does. She is the one in the car with the good-looking guy. Yeah, not that she is going to tell Gabriel that one. He would die of embarrassment.

She still sticks her tongue out at those women though. She does not care how not feminist it is, and how she is pretending to fight over a guy she hardly knows. Well, she might start calling Gabriel her friend after this whole deal. And it is okay to feel better about yourself because you have awesome friends – for the first time in your life.

"We're almost there, though," he is fully clothed again. "The traffic is moving again, albeit slowly, and you are going to get your first real view of the city."

Her heart is up in her throat, because this is one of the big dreams of her life and here is this guy who just offered to make it happen for her. She is just waiting for the iconic view of the city that has been promised to her by popular culture. Gabriel is eyeing her, waiting for her response, and she knows it. She starts out determined to not give him the pleasure of seeing this significant moment, but then realize that she never would have gotten there if it had not been for him and his stupid parents.

"Start spreading the news," he sings softly, as they are at fuller speed again.

"I'm leaving today," she sings back at him, with a smile that must be a sight to see.

As they get closer to the city of New York, she stares out the window and the sights that she encounters might just be the ones that change her life. She has been on the road for over fourteen hours – and they left at seven AM sharp, so it is far into the evening now and the lights are on and the city is there. Just like that, she falls in love.

"Get the camera from the backseat," Gabriel tells her, completely understanding that she wants this moment to live on for the rest of her life.

She is blindly grabbing for it and turning it on before she can even really figure out how the darn video camera works. The button that looks the most like a record button is pressed and she is pointing the camera out the window before she really knows what is happening to her – she is just so desperate to catch this moment and never let it go. This moment could be the thing that made her hold on at that stupid university.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she starts to narrate, because her thoughts are everywhere, and she has to get at least some of them out there. "This is New York City. This is the real view that I am getting right now. I am travelling on this fabulous road trip with the one and only Gabriel Enjolras. Say hi to the camera, Gabe!"

Maybe when she is old and lonely, she can look back on these few moments as one of the highlights of her life – because she made it to this city without doing something illegal, like her parents would have done. She is not her parents' daughter, and she is reaping some of the rewards for that, finally. Strangely enough, while she feels that she owes most of this to Gabriel, Marcus is actually the one who is responsible for her presence in this car – he told Gabriel to take her with him. She almost wants to thank Marcus for taking her away from him. Mostly, she wants to forget about him and her feelings.

"Hello camera," Gabriel is smiling at the camera briefly, before focusing on the road again. " Now show the lovely people your lovely face, 'Ponine."

Did Gabriel Victor Enjolras just nickname her? Did she actually like it?

She hates it when Marius calls her Nina, because it makes light of her name, a rather beautiful and original French name that is one of the few things that she wants to thank her parents for. She is named after some kind of old romantic myth, and she does not want that to go away so that people can pronounce it more easily. Nina is a sorority girl who likes money and cute boys, and Eponine is a strong young woman who fights for the people she loves. She will never be Nina – always Eponine.

Maybe she can be Gabriel's friend Ponine occasionally. That girl sounds nice.

"Because Gabriel is a shit," she starts, quickly panning over her face with the camera, rolling her eyes for drama's sake, "you all are actually forced to stare at this mug for a second. Yeah, I'm fabulous, but this city is the love of my life and people should not be distracted from it, even by my gorgeous face. Now, seriously, this is my first time in New York and it is going to be perfect. Gabriel is making it happen!"

The sound of Gabriel's laugh has to be caught on camera for posterity's sake. She wants him to be able to look at this tape later on, when he is ruling the country, with his perfect wife right by him – spirited and intelligent, he would tolerate nothing less – and remember it as a time during which he actually had some amount of fun. All kidding aside, she has high hopes for his future and believes that he can actually change the future of more than just the university. She hardly knows him, but she can definitely believe in him – she understands the ideals he stands for, and agrees with them.

"Gabriel also booked a hotel for the two of us," the man himself announces.

She smacks her own head because of her stupidity; she simply had not thought of something like the logistics of the operation before. She would have actually slept in the damn car, even in the midst of the craziness that is the city that never sleeps.

"Gabriel is a smart guy," she tells him, pointing the camera at him again – the camera did seem to love him. "Even if he likes to talk about himself in the third person."

They have now entered the city, and she can see that he is concentrating on driving and maneuvering the car through the city, to their hotel. She is glad that he is driving at the moment, because New York City is not ready for her expertise with vehicles – or more like the other way around. The busy traffic is just too crazy at the moment.

"Only a few blocks until the hotel," Gabriel announces, and she turns the camera off.

The next few parts of their trip are not going to be interesting enough to be captured on camera, so there is no need for her to keep holding on to the thing. Honestly, when she does get to the hotel room, the first thing she is going to do is test out her bed and fall asleep – probably with her clothes still on. Gabriel can be the creepy guy who watches her sleep for all that she cares. Not that he is that kind of guy, mind you.

"So, are we sharing a bed," she asks, because pussy-footing around the situation never got anyone anywhere – honesty is an important part of her credo.

"We are sharing a room with two beds," he tells her, shrugging casually.

That is better than she expected, because she kind of likes the idea of being alone in a room with him – she would not want to be in separate rooms. She is more comfortable not being alone for the duration of this trip. Sure, she values having her own space at least some of the time, but having someone as company is something new, exciting, and very comforting. She senses Gabriel's presence all of the time now, and she thinks that this might be a permanent adjustment. He matters now.

"That's fine," she speaks up, to let him know just that.

"I've never shared a room with a woman before," he is musing as he parks the car in the designated parking area for guests. "Unless you count the first few months after my birth, when I slept in the same room as my mother."

Sometimes she forgets that he is not used to being around girls. Sure, she remembers that he manages to insult women a lot, but for him to not be around girls at all is just really odd. Just imagining the meetings between him and Marcus' vapid girlfriend makes her laugh – he would have no tolerance for her pretty fripperies and other superficial concerns. He would be the guy telling Marcus to stop thinking with his dick – only with more multi-syllable words and less foul language.

"I promise not to do anything weird to you at night," she makes a solemn promise, knowing that he will not want her to make a joke out of this.

"I will never ever do anything to you without your express consent," he vows. "You just have to tell me whenever I do something that hurts or upsets you."

He means so well, and she has to remember that. By the end of this trip, she might actually be able to teach him how to act around women – she will be his wingwoman, the best friend that he could ever want. That is, if he still wants her around after the trip.

"You can count on me to let you know whenever I am upset about anything," she teases, grabbing her stuff to haul it out of the car. "I am such a loud person that you'll soon be begging me to stop giving my opinion about everything. You just might get really sick of me after tomorrow and beg me to go back to Chicago."

Luckily enough for the both of them, she has never been the kind of girl who packs way too much stuff when she goes on any kind of trip – both because she does not see the point of bringing so many things that she is not going to use, and because she does not have very much things period. She does not own make-up, because she cannot justify the expense to herself when she has trouble paying for food and books.

She hauls her bags over her shoulders and gets ready to walk the last distance.

"I honestly doubt that," he falls into step next to her.

"You know by now that I do not shut up easily," she pretends not to care.

"I meant that I doubt that I would get sick of you so easily," he holds open the damn door for her. "You would sooner get sick of me than the other way around."

As they enter the hotel lobby, she gives him another once-over. He is carrying just about as much stuff as she is, and his hair is a mess. He has obviously been sweating a bit, but he looks so happy to be here – with her.

She does not think that she could get sick of him – and that is a scary idea.

AN: Awww… Aren't they adorable?! Let me know how you feel about them in a review! Or just rant to me about the amazingness that was Les Mis at the Oscars… Or both!


	6. Chapter Five

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: This is chapter five, and it's still not mine. Surprising.

AN: I love you all, let's just say that. Keep being so amazing and I'll happily keep writing.

Chapter five: In which there is exploration of new territories

When she comes out of the bathroom, he has finally woken up. He took his shower before going to bed – she only knows that because she briefly woke up when he came out of the bathroom – and now he is adorably rumpled with his hair standing up in several different directions and his eyes only slightly open. He is wearing a shirt and boxers, and for just a second she wants to put him back into bed and climb in there with him – even though the weather is scorching, his warmth is comforting.

"Hello sleepyhead," she says, shaking off the silly ideas.

"Hello beautiful," his voice is still rough with sleep, and his words are a bit off, as if he is still half-dreaming and only half-awake. "Did you sleep well?"

It is so easy to walk over to his bed with a smile on her face, her dark hair still dripping onto the hotel towel. Seeing someone wake up in the morning is extremely intimate, which is not something that she is with anyone – not ever. She is usually gone before the man wakes up, and she has never had regrets about that.

This is nice, though. It is nice to feel safe when waking up, because he is there to protect her – because that is just the kind of guy that he is. He would viciously attack all of the girls who had insulted her, and he might even tell Marcus some harsh truths.

"Of course handsome," she teases easily, ruffling his hair for kicks.

"Am I awake," he asks, seemingly in awe of what is happening. "I'm not dreaming?"

Instead of actually giving him a reply, she pinches his arm. That is supposed to work, after all, and this situation too entertaining to put a quick stop to it.

"I just had the weirdest dream," he mutters, running a hand through his hair.

"Do you need me to give you a few minutes," she asks, letting out the giggles that have been threatening to burst out of her lungs. "You're seriously adorable, my friend."

She is one hundred percent ready to make this city her bitch, and he is barely able to keep his eyes open for longer than a second. Honestly, she had not been expecting this of the leader of the revolution, the man who keeps Les Amies together. But then again, this whole trip is a revelation when it comes to him – even when it comes to her.

"I'm awake now," he tells her, a soft smile playing on his face.

"Oh yeah, I can see that," she teases, flopping down on his bed. "Now go and get dressed before I kick your ass. I actually want to see this city. Move!"

He is obedient enough to grab his stuff and almost trip into the hotel bathroom. He is as easily led as a puppy at the moment, which is an interesting contrast to the many convictions he always holds when he is more awake. He is oddly vulnerable like this, and it makes her feel special that she is allowed to see him in such a state – probably as one of the few. She is probably the only woman he has seen in this state, and also the only woman who has seen him in this state. As to men, she has no doubt that Grant has taken advantage of this suggestible state at some point, to get Gabriel to do something extremely embarrassing. That's the type of guy Grant is.

"What do you want to see today," Gabriel yells out from the bathroom.

"Times square and Broadway," she shouts back at him, because she has no idea how long he is going to take. "I just want to soak up the atmosphere today. Tomorrow I want to hang out in Central Park. I don't even need most of the touristy stuff, because I do not care about that crap. I want to make my own personal memories here."

The camera is already in her bag, and she checked for batteries and other power sources about a million times – that is only a mild exaggeration. She just wants to get out there, into a world where she can be anyone and do anything, where she can just be in this beautiful city with a friend who does not except anything from her – like Marcus always does. Marcus always wants her to do something or other for him.

It usually has to do with his darling girlfriend at the time, because he is too oblivious to tell that she is completely in love with him and would give up many a thing to be one of the many girlfriends that he has paraded around campus.

She just wants him to finally see her as a woman, rather than as this sexless creature that is there to run errands and bring messages to people. All that she gets for these errands are smiles from him, ones that she cherishes and keeps in a special place in her mind palace – kept mostly empty for the better future that must come, even though she does not really believe in it anymore. She has been waiting for a long time.

"You're daydreaming," all of a sudden Gabriel is right in front of her.

"Distract me," she orders, not wanting to talk about real life.

"So, today is going to be our only real tourist day," he just starts to talk, and it sounds as if he is just randomly saying things to, indeed, distract her. "We can just walk to Times Square, because that is the only real way to get the atmosphere of this place. We will figure out what to do next after that – though we will have to get in line for discount tickets if you want to go see a Broadway show. That can take a while."

He whisks her and her bag out of the door before she realizes that they have left the relative comfort of their room. She deplores feeling like she is so dependent upon Gabriel, but she tries to get over this by thinking of the things that he might owe to her – only she cannot think of very many things, or very much at all.

"Why would you even take this trip with me," she asks as they walk the city streets.

"Because you wanted to," he tells her, not saying anything meaningful.

Maybe she is just not going to get an answer to this, even though it bothers her very much. He must have his reasons for keeping her around, and maybe he will tell her those reasons someday. Now, she can just be happy that she has a friend around.

"I cannot wait to see your face when you see it," he is grinning boyishly.

They are getting closer and closer to the center of the city, and its enormous buildings and neon lights with advertisements. He is digging into her bag for the camera – because he is a man and he is not bringing a whole bag with everything he needs. She shakes her head at his antics, and points him to the camera before he goes even crazier with anticipation. He has it in his hands and pointing at her face before she knows it.

"We're here," he announces, that grin still on his face.

"This is amazing," she stares at the splendor surrounding her.

It is the exact picture of a materialistic society, a complete mess of advertisements and commercials of things that she has never really thought about. Still, there is a beauty in it that surprises her, especially the stairs that stand in the middle of this madness, mostly surrounded by a long line of tourists waiting in line for discount tickets to the Broadway show of their choice. There are so many people, and nobody is staring at the two of them – though Gabe is pointing the camera at her face and laughing like a complete idiot.

"Tell the world what you think," he speaks in between bursts of laughter.

"This is probably the most amazing thing that I have ever seen," she turns around again, and again, and again, and again, just to capture everything that she sees. "It's like I can't take my eyes off something because I might miss it, but I can't stand still either because there is just so much to see and I want to see it all. You're an angel for bringing me along, you know that? I cannot believe that I actually get to be here!"

She just grabs him and goes for a slightly awkward hug, with the camera there in between them, until he moves it to point at the two of them hugging.

"The guys are not going to believe this," he is laughing as she tries to extract herself from him. "I am having actual physical contact with a woman which is not her slapping me in the face for being a total shit. It's good that the evidence exists!"

His face is a little crinkled with his laughter, and it is that simple to start laughing along with him, even if she is still holding him a bit awkwardly. Just imagining the looks on the faces of Grant Aires, Joe Leigh, and even Marcus; that is enough to set her off for a good long laugh. She can only imagine the kind of surprise that she would see in their faces, because they never would have expected this. And neither would she.

"You will be the most popular guy on campus," she teases.

"I honestly doubt that," he is smiling at her so fondly.

"You will after this," she plants a smacking kiss on his right cheek, followed by an exaggerated wink at the camera. "Now tell him he isn't the luckiest man alive."

There is a blush on his face after her kiss, of course, which is enough of a distraction for her to not think too much about her motives other than upstaging his friends. Still, she cannot help but think that she is trying to make Marcus jealous, and that is definitely the wrong thing to do. It is both wrong to use Gabriel this way, and wrong to mess up the friendship between the two men. Also, it probably will not work anyway.

"Be very jealous, my men," he is now addressing his comrades as if he is their army commander, only he is one that has a magnificent sense of humor.

"I think the only people who are going to be jealous are the single women on campus," she teases him, hoping to keep the blush around. "And maybe even some of the not so single ones. They would all kill to be in my place right now."

She knows that she is right about this, because she has heard quite a few girls speak of his face and his body – they think that he is made of stone and that means that they can appreciate and objectify him as much as they can. They are so charming.

"They all want their claim to humanizing the marble man," his smile is gone.

"Most of them are indeed shallow bitches that just want to do you," she shrugs, because superficiality is very common at the university. "There are exceptions, though."

And the adorable blush is back yet again, because she mentioned the verb doing in a less than pure way and his only way of dealing with that is blushing. His virgin lips and innocent ears will not stand for change, and dirty ideas are a part of that. Weird, since most men have at least had some wicked filthy thoughts at that age.

"Are you going to try to set me up," he asks, stopping the recording.

Yeah, that is not something that they should have on tape – too incriminating.

"I think you might not be ready for a relationship," she speaks honestly. "You are not used to talking to girls, and anyone who does not know you well thinks of you as a robot who does not believe in romantic love. That is not meant to be an insult, and I don't see you that way anymore – I know better now. You are hopeful, but scared."

Gabriel Enjolras is no tin soldier, no marble statue. She can see through the top layer and notice the man he is underneath the political pillar of strength – she notices the scared young man who has no idea how to talk to people who are not in his protest group. Sure, he is intelligent and occasionally even witty, but he is not as much of a social creature as most of his friends are. He has few real friends and fewer people who understand him.

"We are alike, then," he tells her, and she can't look at him.

He is probably right about that, even though she hates to admit that. She is ill-suited for a relationship too; seeing as she has trust issues, and body issues, and love issues, and sex issues, and family issues. She has a list of reasons why she should not be allowed to fall in love and her fantastic success with Marcus is another piece of evidence that she can add to that list. She does not like to feel sorry for herself, but she is also realistic enough to know that any man who dares to love her has to be strong enough to bear the shit storm and the problems. Marcus is not that guy, she knows that much.

"Ain't that a twist," she snipes, acting like the observation didn't hit home. "The poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks with the parents on the wrong side of the bars, just like the marble man with the silver spoon. Really, people won't believe it."

Wonderful, her most obvious defense mechanism is showing, and she has no doubt that Gabriel is going to notice – he isn't stupid. He's the smartest person she knows.

"Are we not more than our heritage and our family," he makes her face him with a gentle hand on her face. "You are so much more than your parents. I personally think that you are rather brilliant and funny. I have no doubts that you are resourceful and kind – even to marble statues like myself. Why can't you see that?"

There is a warm hand on her left cheek, and this time she is the one who is fighting an embarrassing blush. This is such a romantic gesture, one she has seen in movies and hoped to one day be the recipient of. Only in reality, it is a lot more terrifying, because his hand feels nice and his eyes are gentle and hopeful with a look that is the most terrifying thing of all. The look speaks of feelings that she cannot reciprocate.

"Please don't fall in love with me," she begs, because she knows that look.

"Ponine," he speaks up, unable to deny anything.

Oh, she had really hoped that he would say that she was out of line, or simply speaking complete nonsense. Only he is not saying anything other than her name – or rather, his name for her – and he is still looking at her. It makes her uncomfortable – and scared.

"Can we get in line for tickets," she takes a few steps away from him.

"Sure," he lets her turn her face away finally.

She cannot face him.

AN: You can come find me on Tumblr as well as on here. My name there is textsfromumbridge and any comment is appreciated.


	7. Chapter Six

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: It is still not mine. That's just so surprising.

AN: I want to thank everyone for the lovely response, once again. Everyone who has started following me on Tumblr: thank you. You are all wonderful!

This chapter is still in New York, but for me New York is not the main adventure – because these two still have a way to go. Be warned, the story will change settings several more times. It is a road trip story after all.

Special shoutout to my Tumblr friend who has embraced this ship: hihiyas!

Chapter six: In which there is friendship

The air in Central Park feels so much cleaner than the air in the rest of the city.

Maybe that is the reason why she feels like it is okay to breathe again, because being around Gabriel all day has finally gotten to her. Three days in New York together and he is still everywhere around her. His place in this city and his place in her memories are so closely intertwined that she will never be able to think of New York without thinking of him. Right now that feels like too much of a connection – he is too close.

They saw Wicked together on their first day, and now "For Good" is playing on a loop in her head, and somehow Gabriel is always singing it to her and with her – because he has indeed changed her life for good. Right now, she thinks that he also changed her life for the better, but that could all change depending on the outcome of this trip.

She just keeps hearing it, and every time she falls asleep she dreams of being the green witch Elphaba – Gabe is dressed as the prince Fiyero, and she keeps noticing the tight white pants and just how well he is pulling them off. He is singing "As Long As You're Mine" and she is sorely tempted to actually become his princess. It could be just because of the pants, but she honestly doubts that there is all there is to it. He is just all around her and he makes quite the Fiyero. It is getting to her.

It is not just the trip to the theatre, though. They are sharing a room each night and he appears to have serious problems with keeping himself covered – in blankets or in any other way. His presence is overwhelming during the day and during the night.

All of the time, he is around all of the time and he is just constantly in love with her, even though he has never said it – she would not let him say it. She will not hear it.

"Are you going to ignore me again," Gabe is of course aware of all of her little tricks, even though he has not been in a relationship like this one before. "I'm sorry that I showed actual feelings, and I promise to only be your friend. Can we move on now?"

This is actually a variation on a speech that she has heard many times before, because boys and men are mostly the same and they play like nice guys when all they want is sex – and lots of it. She had never thought that Gabriel would be one of them, and she still is not really sure that he means this same thing – but she has to dissuade him.

"Or maybe I should give you a pity bang like the slut I am," she rolls her eyes.

"What are you talking about," he steps back from her like she hurt him.

"I have heard it all before, Virgin Lips," she uses his nickname with biting accuracy. "You are not the first to try and get something out of the deal. Do you want to bang?"

She is sure that he wants to, because if he does claim to be in love with her, he should want to love her physically as well. It will be his first time, so he might be a bit hesitant about the whole deal, but her hang-ups on the subject have not led her astray so far – her gut is the only thing that she can trust. However, her gut seems torn on the subject of Gabriel Victor Enjolras, and she does not like it at all.

"Are you out of your mind," he is staring at her with wide-open eyes.

"I thought I was making a generous offer," she is not having any of it.

"Are you that messed up in your head," he is now yelling at her in the middle of the park, and people are starting to stare at them. "Do you really believe that a relationship can only be about sex? Do you really believe that you're not worth a thing? You are worth so much more than those assholes have led you to believe. Jesus, Eponine, have you really looked at yourself, at your life? You have already accomplished so much, and still you think that you don't matter whatsoever. You are brilliant, you work hard, and you're funny as heck. Maybe you are a little crazy, and really out there, but you are an amazing person. Ponine, will you just let me be your fucking friend? Please!"

She should not find his cussing sexy – only she does, just a little lot.

The crowd of people now staring at them is urging at her to respond to him, even though some of the people have their cameras out and are clearly only waiting for something particularly dramatic that they can catch on film. She is extremely freaked out by the spectacle, as she does not want to end up on the Internet or on some freaky television show that uses hidden camera footage. This thing between her and Gabe, it is confusing and messy and theirs. It does not belong to anyone else but to them.

"That was a nice speech," she manages to say.

"We can talk about this away from the crowd," he has calmed down a bit.

He holds out his arm and she takes it, and they take a quick bow before they run away, completely in sync. She is not laughing, even though there is a gleeful feeling that comes with this run they are on. Her breathing is heavy, and she knows that his is as well.

"You are really good at speeches," she teases, as they slow from a run to a walk.

"I am glad my education has amounted to something," his tone is light as well.

"I think it is not just your education," these things make her pensive. "You yourself have worked so hard to turn out a good person. I think it's all you."

If he had not been so interested in ideals, and in the people who were not born with money and silver spoons, he could have easily turned out like his father – and that guy does not sound like a person that she would ever want to associate with. His convictions are just one part that she appreciates about him, and he deserves to know as much, only for all of her witticisms, she cannot tell him that. It is much too intimate.

"A compliment from you," he is practically beaming.

"Do I really treat you so badly," her voice is soft and wondering.

She really has not thought of her teasing and messing with him as treating him badly; more like her way of finally bringing him out of his self-imposed shell. He is a different person around her; a person who knows how to joke about things and how to have fun even when things are supposed to be boring. Still, the core of him has not changed, and she would not even want that to change. She knows very well of people wanting her to change, and people wanting him to change – another thing in which they are alike. He does not want to change that much, and neither does she.

"You don't always use your words when you appreciate me," he shrugs.

"I would like to be your friend," she decides to use her words this time. "I just think that when we go back to real life, you're going to get sick of me hanging around all of the time – because really, who else would I hang out with?"

It is a scary idea, having to go back to her old life at the university with no friends and no people to have fun with or even to talk to. He will go back to his old life as well, with the Amies and the crowds of people surrounding him. Some of those people hate his ideas, and some of them practically worship him with or without these ideals. Grant Aires definitely falls into the second group, but Gabe barely notices that.

"With all of the people who are going to realize how awesome you are," he grabs her hand and twirls her around in the middle of the busy street. "And as long as I am with the Amies, you will always have a place there as well."

She will have a place with people who do not know her as a person and only see her as a Shadow to Marcus. Maybe now she will be seen as Gabe's shadow instead, but she does not think that this is much of an improvement – her status as a revolution bunny will be a definite matter from then on. Well, she could always be Grant's hag if the other boys get tired of her – nope, that is still a ridiculous idea. The rest of the group might think of her as a stupid hanger-on who is just distracting Gabe from the goal.

"Why are you so nice to me," she asks in jest.

"Stop fishing for compliments," he is teasing her right back.

Now that is bound to get the people talking back in the real world, him being loose and teasing rather than serious and intense. They are going to assume that he has been replaced by a pod person or that he has had some kind of personality transplant. She is going to get so much crap about it, or people are going to assume that she is some kind of miracle worker with difficult people, when it is just that she is pretty good at trying to understand Gabriel specifically. He has done all of the work himself.

He has grown so much as a person; he has shown so many new sides to himself.

"I like it when you actually look like you're having fun," she pokes him in the side.

"I am having probably the most fun I've ever had," he tells her, and that both hurts to hear and is so recognizable in just about every way.

Sure, she had several kinds of fun before – mostly in the dirtiest ways that he would just not yet understand. But this is probably the first time in which she actually gets to have fun and not act like a person someone else wants her to be. She gets to be herself, and she gets to act like a kid if she wants to, and he will go right along with it.

"Likewise, Gabe," she tells him, because he will understand.

"Let's go do something silly," he holds out his hand, and she takes it.

Because honestly, why the hell not? They are in a strange city where nobody knows them, and as long as they don't do something too crazy or illegal, nobody is going to remember them anyway. There is so much freedom in that, and she loves it.

"How silly are you willing to be," she swings their arms exaggeratedly.

"Let's go for the full thing," he starts skipping, and she goes along, laughing loudly.

This must be how it feels to have a best friend.

AN: If you have any questions or comments, just let me know. I do have most of the story written out already, but I can still make some minor changes/edits if things are confusing or wrong.


	8. Chapter Seven

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: It's still not mine. It's all Victor Hugo and I probably made him turn in his grave quite a bit. Sorry, not sorry.

AN: Once again, I love you all! Everyone who's been following/stalking me on Tumblr, tell me about yourself, and about what you think of this fic.

Chapter seven: In which Virgin Lips keeps secrets

It feels like she has only just gotten out of the car when they both pack their bags and climb back into the thing. They have spent a wonderful few days in New York, and she actually would like to stay a bit longer, but he wants to leave because he has figured out their next destination. She does not want to think about any other place.

"Do we really have to leave today," she whines, acting like a kid on purpose.

"If we want to proceed as I have planned," he is actually twirling an imaginary evil moustache. "I promise you that you are going to love my plan. Cross my heart!"

His ridiculous antics just remind her of how much things have changed over the last week or so. He never would have dared to do something so ridiculous a week ago; she would be the one doing it, and he would have been staring at her in confusion and frustration with her antics. This time, at this point, they are both laughing like a couple of immature idiots. At this point, they are pretty much best friends.

"You owe me big time if I do hate it," she tells him, closing the passenger side door.

"I will add it to the list," he starts the car, but not before he winks at her.

They are out of the parking garage in no time, and just like that they are leaving her new favorite place in the world. She is determined to come back some day – preferably some day soon – but she also knows that she has a life to get back to. Still, that life is on hold for at least two more weeks, so there appears to be no particular reason for him to rush her into the car and take her to another random place that is probably not even going to come close to the splendor of New York City. She trusts him, though.

"I think my list of things I owe you for is longer," she tells him, shrugging. "So I think you can let this one go, even if I do end up hating this new place."

Also, since they are friends, they should be able to give some shit up for each other, just as long as it helps the other person. So if this place – whatever it may be – is a place that helps Gabe in any way, she is all for it. Maybe he is taking her to meet his incredibly fucked up family. If that is the case, she is definitely going to give his father all kinds of hell for his reputation bullshit. No reputation is more important than his son.

"But whatever shall we do to entertain ourselves," he asks her as they exit the city.

"I think I might try to keep my clothes on this time," she sticks her tongue out at him.

He actually looks just the slightest bit disappointed – or maybe she is just imagining that part. If she is imagining it, that means that she wants it to happen, and that is probably even worse. She is not supposed to want him to feel that way about her – she is supposed to be happy yet scared about him just being her best friend. Only there is no just about that, since she has never had a best friend who was not her little brother.

"I am not sure if I can make the same promise," he replies in the best deadpan tone.

She bursts out laughing, because the idea of him randomly doing that is ridiculous – for some reason he is not comfortable with taking his shirt off. She thinks he has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of – on the contrary, really – but she is really trying to respect his clothing rules. There are quite a few of those, at this point.

Rule number one: everyone remains fully clothed unless a) we are about to go swimming, b) someone needs to take a shower, c) clothes have gotten dirty and someone needs to change, and d) people are getting ready for bed.

Honestly, she is kidding about there being official rules, but she is pretty sure that this is exactly the kind of rule that he would implement if she ever gave him the chance. There would even be an addendum about not taking off clothes in public unless something was on fire or the person was still significantly covered. He is adorable that way.

"I wait with baited breath," she giggles.

"There are probably some stupid car games that we can play," he offers.

He might be right about that, but she has trouble thinking of one. There have not exactly been very many opportunities for her to spend a lot of time in a car with people, seeing as she spent most of her teenage years in a foster home. There was not a lot of money for anything, let alone road trips and other flights of fancy. She had to work for every penny she has saved, and now she finds herself being almost unable to enjoy relaxing.

"I don't think I know any," she hesitantly admits.

"Yeah, me neither," Gabriel lets out a soft chuckle. "So I suggest we play another game of truth and see where that takes us. I spy is too crazy for us."

This is bound to get interesting, she knows that much. They know each other much better now, and the risk of digging up something that comes too close for comfort is suddenly much greater – especially with his revelation about his feelings. She likes dear old Virgin Lips – and she kind of wants to eliminate the virgin part of that title, but nobody has to know about that. She does not want that secret to come out.

"Truth or strip," she asks teasingly, a wishful tone in her voice.

"If I get a sunburn, you have to bear with me," he rolls his eyes, still so focused on the road ahead. "And you have to do my back with the special cream."

The pout now present on his face is extremely tempting, and the promise that he is trying to extract from her is even worse. He is seriously asking her to rub some lotion into his back? Did she fall asleep and end up in a triple X-rated version of her life? That seems to be the only reason that this would actually happen.

"Okay big boy," she replies. "Scout's honor. Let's go for it!"

It is surprising how easily that stupid nickname slips out – the stunned look that he briefly shoots her shows that she did indeed say that out loud, and that this really is real life. Honestly, she does not know where her brain is hiding these days.

"You were never a Girl Scout," he tells her, and she knows that he is right.

"Yeah, I know," she shrugs. "Still, if I promise something, I stick to it."

She fights for what she believes in, and she only promises something if she does really intend to go through with it. She does not believe in making promises lightly, as so many others do. Of course, this particular promise is not one that she would ever break, even though it is probably a bad idea to tempt the mild lusty feelings she has been having for him. Her libido just needs to calm down for a bit, and she can totally do that because they are friends and friends can totally rub lotion on each other.

If her back needed some lotion, she would totally ask him – and try not to moan.

"I have no doubt," he sounds like he completely believes this.

This amazing guy actually believes her and believes in her. Yeah, she never expected that to happen either. She kind of loves it now that it has happened, though. She loves actually having a friend, and she really likes that this friend is Gabe, of all people.

"Most embarrassing moment you have ever had with a member of the opposite sex," she dives right in and goes for one of the most embarrassing question she can think of.

Without even responding in any way – except for that wonderful blush on his face – he whips off his shirt and tosses it right at her. For the few seconds that her face is covered by the thing, she only smells that smell that she has come to associate with Gabe: old books, sweat, cologne and a bit of Gabe himself. Then, she actually sees him.

"Looking good, Virgin Lips," she teases, blowing him a kiss.

"Lotion," he reminds her, and the grin on her face only gets wider. "Now, I would kindly ask you the same question. Because payback is a bitch."

Sure, this might not be the best question for her to answer, but there are many worse questions that he could have asked her at this point. This only seems like a relatively minor embarrassment when it compares to his refusal to even consider answering the question when she asked it. She can definitely get through this bit.

"Bad luck to you, because I rarely feel shame for things," she is keeping her clothes on for the moment. "I do have trouble picking a single most embarrassing moment. There have been quite a few over the years, if I do say so myself. If I had to choose, I would probably pick that time where I was hooking up with this guy and he had just invited me home with him for the first time. So, in the middle of the night, I get up to go to the bathroom. And I climb back into bed with him, and it is not until the morning that I realize that I have crawled into bed with his fifteen-year-old little brother. It was really interesting the next morning when he found out that he had a naked chick in his bed."

She actually remembers this occasion well, because being kicked out of his house in the early morning wearing nothing but panties and a coat - in the middle of winter – was just terrible. The little brother had not even minded – he actually thought that Christmas had come early for him – but everyone else in the family completely hated it. Her lover was the one who did not give her time to put on her clothes.

Acting like it was a funny moment helps her forget about the real pain.

"Are you serious," he looks like he is trying really hard not to laugh.

"Sadly enough, I am," she shrugs, as if the whole did not mean anything. "That pretty much ended the fling and made me the whore around town. Honestly, all that for an honest mistake. It was dark, and it was a strange house."

It really was an honest mistake, and the aftermath should have been as mild as the mistake was – only it became a huge deal and she was vilified for it. Nobody was hurt or damaged in any way except for her, and she had to bear the talks and gossip, because it was so easy for the story to spread. It was easy to think of her as a whore.

"I'm sorry that they caused you pain," he immediately grasped her meaning.

"I'm going to make you take off more clothes," she easily changes the subject, because she does not want to consider her mistakes any longer. "Get ready, Virgin Lips!"

The look on his face is part annoyance, part eagerness for her to follow through on that promise. Honestly, her reminder to herself that he has never kissed a girl is her attempt of giving herself a turnoff, and a reason to stay away from him – he is not to be trifled with sexually, because he has absolutely no experience with women. She tries to convince herself that his lack of experience means that he will be bad at kissing and sex, because he will not know what to do. What she ends up with is a love for teaching him things, and hope that he will prove to be a very fast learner, as usual.

"I really hate that nickname," he sighs in frustration.

"At some point, people won't even be able to use it again," she promises with a grin. "At some point, you will meet someone who will want nothing more than to kiss you – and not just on your lips. Trust me, boys will always find a stupid nickname."

They are going to make it, if she can just get her hormones under control.

AN: Hormones can be a bitch. I think we all know that, or have at least experienced it at some point. Just… Aaron Tveit… Yep, I'm leaving that there.

Anyway, let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter (Tv)ei(gh)t

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Yes, it's totally mine. Note the sarcasm.

AN: Hello wonderful people! Without further ado, chapter eight!

Chapter eight: In which Little People are, indeed, highly skilled

They are back in their original positions in the car, because he told her that he had to drive the last bit for some strange reason that he would not tell her about.

He is reading some crude directions off of a piece of paper, and he is not showing her anything – because he wants her to die of anticipation. Honestly, she is probably not the most patient person, she knows that, but this is getting ridiculous. She has driven this car for several hours with him periodically giving her directions – only leaving her with a vague idea in which direction they are going. She knows not where this will end.

"Don't kill me for this," he tells her as he steers her into the city of Columbus.

"Gabe," she pleads, not understanding exactly what he is trying to do here.

"I took the liberty of memorizing the address you wrote on that postcard," he is getting her closer and closer. "I looked up the directions, because I think that you deserve to see your siblings again after all of this time. And no matter what the foster parents say, you are a good person, and you are a good influence. I will make it happen."

He is actually going to make sure that she will see her siblings again. He took time off from his summer exile to make her happy – because they could have gone anywhere and done anything. What he chooses to do, faced with pretty much all of the options in the world – she brought her passport just in case – is to help his friend see her family. They just do not make them like Gabriel Enjolras. He broke the mold.

"Are you actually made of marble," she asks the question rather clumsily. "I mean, how can you be so freaking perfect? Only statues are that perfect, and the ancient Greek heroes. Gabe, why would you even do this for me?"

He flinches at first, when she asks that stupid question about marble. Then he starts shaking his head, as if he thinks that she is wrong about this. Here she is, practically in tears and so touched by this gesture, and he thinks that he is merely doing a small favor for a friend. Really, there are no words for how much this means to her – no one in the world has ever cared enough about her to do this. Marcus knows about her siblings, and he has never done anything to help her with that, while Gabe only knows her for about a week and just goes about making her life the best that it has ever been.

"You have serious self-worth issues," he tells her, pulling over at a hotel parking lot.

"Tell me something I don't know," she shrugs, trying not to freak out.

"I will just tell you again," he smiles at her, now finally able to look at her, since the car has come to a stop. "Ponine, you are a great person. I have told you that before. Over the last week or so, you have been a great friend to me; the best one I ever had. I just wanted to do this for you, since this just seems wrong and I hate that. No one should have to be separated from their family – unless it is something people actually want."

Seriously, this guy cannot be real. She knows that he is in fact a real person, and that he is actually her best friend – but so much goodness and such a sense of justice in one person is just rare. He is so passionate about doing the right thing, and she would be lying if she said that this did not turn her on quite a bit.

"Why are you not responding," he seems flustered now, after all these compliments.

"I am still thinking of your superhero name," she winks at him.

And just like that, he is blushing profusely, something she still enjoys very much. The red color is just off on his face, and his gorgeous face – seriously, she needs a distraction, and she needs it fast – is flushed. Soon he will start sweating – something that is even more distracting than just the temptation of his face. She likes making him lost for words as well, because it is such a sharp contrast between that look on his face and the incredible eloquence that he usually displays. This is exactly her kind of payback.

"I will only be a superhero if you will be my sidekick," he grins, climbing out of the car.

"I'll get out the spandex," she practically leaps out of the car, flush with excitement.

Her bags are out of the car before she knows it, and they are practically running towards the lobby of the fancy Sheraton hotel. She is only hours or days away from finally seeing her favorite person in the world again – sorry Gabe – with her second favorite person in the world right by her side. Yeah, he has knocked Zelda out of second place – and she tries not to feel like a bad sister because of that. She barely knows Zelda, though – and not just because she has not seen the girl in several years. Zelda is just, different.

The girl is just so obsessed with the superficial things – she always has been. Gav was always happy as long as they were together, but Zelda always wanted the latest craze because that was the only way that she was going to fit in with her classmates – at least, that was how she told it. And she always gave in, because she was a good sister. At least, she has always believed that she was a good sister to them.

"Unfortunately, there are no rooms with separate beds available at this time," a voice.

That takes her out of her mind palace very quickly, because apparently there is going to be some really awkward sharing of the bed. Basically, while she is going to be pretty much fine with this, Gabe is about to be dragged kicking and screaming out of his comfort zone. And she really does not want him to be uncomfortable around her.

"Are you okay with that," she asks him, keeping her fingers crossed.

"It sounds like you are," he seems surprised at that for some reason.

"Friends can totally share a bed, Gabe," she tells him, because it does not necessarily have to be a big deal. "I would totally share a bed with a girl. You know, if I actually had any other friends. Sharing a bed with Marcus would be way awkward though."

She used to think that sharing a bed with Marcus would be a dream come true, but that was before Gabriel Enjolras basically asked her to run away with him. There have been very many moments over the course of the last week or so during which she could have been thinking about Marcus, but did not remember to think of him, or during which she thought of Gabe instead. She thinks of Gabe often, and she rarely thinks of Marcus.

Could she really be getting over this unrequited love with Marcus Murphy?

"Because you love him or because he has a girlfriend," Gabe practically whispers.

"A little bit of both," she explains, shrugging. "We'll take the room, miss."

Gabe has all of the money, so she is all right with letting him handle the rest of this process – all she wants to do is get into the room and get in touch with her younger siblings. Well, that and lick a way down Gabe's still naked chest.

He has not yet noticed that he is not wearing a shirt, and the young girl behind the reception desk looks like she is not going to remind him – the drool practically coming out of the corner of her mouth is enough evidence of that. While she does not want to make Gabe uncomfortable, she knows that she kind of has to tell him to put his shirt back on; the shirt that she currently has in her hands.

"Here's your shirt," she simply tells him as soon as he has the key.

"You could not have told me that before that girl made me uncomfortable," he asks, exasperated. "I was wondering why she was looking at me that way."

Yeah, he actually has no idea why women would want to look at him. It is like he has missed high school entirely, because she is sure that many a girl would have been – or would have wanted to be – all over him in high school. He should know that he is extremely attractive, though he is distant to most women, except for her.

"I was waiting for you to notice," she drags him into the elevator.

His shirt is only halfway over his head, and all of the bags are on the elevator floor.

"Sorry about that," he stumbles a bit, crashing into her just a little.

"Just put your clothes back on, doofus," she presses the right button.

"I never thought that I would hear you say that," he is fully clothed again. "I have heard you say the opposite several times now, and now I have these expectations."

The second the doors open, she starts throwing the bags out of the elevator, because he is not exactly paying attention. The last few bags are hoisted onto her shoulders, and his arm is there somewhere as she pushes him into the hallway. He stumbles again, and she just has to laugh at the surprise that he is showing at her actions.

"Don't get too distracted by your expectations," she sticks her tongue out at him.

"It's the third room on the left," he tells her, handing her a key. "I am going to go and call your brother. We can make sure to meet up with him tomorrow."

She lugs her bags into the room, and she cannot help but notice the enormous bed practically in the center of the room. It is pretty much big enough for them to never even find each other if they do decide to move in the middle of the night – and she is not disappointed about that, really she is not. Only that pang does not go away.

Gabe's bags are in the room as well, and he is already dialing a number on his phone, putting it on speakerphone so that she will be able to hear everything.

"Excuse me, is this the York residence," he asks as soon as someone picks up.

"Yes it is," the dreaded foster monster responds. "Who is this?"

It might be terrible of her, but she really hates this woman because of her insistence of keeping her apart from her siblings. The foster father is rather more relaxed – he is the best role model she could think of for Gavin – except maybe Gabriel.

"This is Hugo Jackson," he lies smoothly. "Is it possible for me to speak to Gavin York?"

Wait, is this Gabe lying for her? She is in awe of how good he is at it, but she is also a little weary of it – most of the good liars she knows are terrible people. Gabe is not that kind of guy, so she is a little surprised. Still, there is definitely some nervousness written on his face, so he is not as used to lying as she feared.

"What business do you have with my son," the voice makes her flinch.

"We have a spot for him in a summer enrichment program," he offers up nervously.

He has actually come up with an entire story for this, and it almost seems plausible – even though Gav has never cared that much about school and grades. She wants to jump on top of Gabriel and give him a hug, only that will give the whole thing away.

She chooses to blow him a kiss instead, taking care to stay silent.

"I have no knowledge of this," Mrs. York sounds haughty as usual.

"Our program is highly competitive," Gabriel seems prepared for all kinds of responses to his elaborate story. "It is very likely that your son did not wish to reveal anything to you until he was sure. If I could just speak to him to discuss some details."

The next response is what the entire plan has been leaning on. She has to say yes.

"Of course," she replies as if this is no big deal.

"Thank you very much, madam," Gabe continues to be extremely polite.

There is rustling on the other side of the conversation, and some yelling for Gavin to come downstairs and pick up the phone. She cannot hear her brother's response, but she has no doubt that it is impatient and slightly rude – that is just who he is.

"Yeah, who's this," her little brother's voice finally sounds.

"Are you Gavin," her best friend has to confirm, even though she's nodding at him.

"Yeah, that's me," is the simple reply, one that she recognizes all too well.

Her little brother has never been one for ceremony or formalities. He would rather play with his friends than learn about etiquette, and he would rather climb trees for the rest of his days than go to school or learn how to behave. She is curious to see how big he's gotten, and how much he has changed over the last few years.

"Gavin Thenardier," Gabe has to make sure they have the right person.

"Who's asking," the suspicious tone in her brother's voice makes her flinch.

She sounds like that herself, when she fears that someone will find out about her family and expose her to the cruel gossips of the world. Many journalists would want to have an exclusive with the children of the most infamous con artists of the twenty-first century. She wonders why they have not found her yet, but she also does not want to think about that too much. She knows that it is only a matter of time.

"Is your foster mom listening along," oh Gabe, he is always so cautious.

"No," Gavin is quick to reply. "What do you want?"

"I can't talk for long," Gabe tries to explain without actually saying the words that matter at this point. "Just act like I am offering you some fancy school program."

Her fingers are crossed in the hopes that Gavin is going to go along with this, at least long enough for him to find out why this strange guy is calling him. At least Gabriel is talking in his natural tone of voice again. The deep, affected voice he used on Mrs. York did things to her lady parts that she should not have to describe while she is listening to him talk to her brother. Honestly, how exactly does Gabriel keep surprising her?

"That's very kind of you sir," Gavin is a natural actor – she already knew that.

"I'm a friend of your sister's," her best friend is starting out slow.

"Really, sir," the tone of her brother's voice goes dark. "I'm not sure I like that."

It is devastating, the feeling of regret and disappointment that rushes through her at those words. She had not even thought of the idea that he might not want to see her ever again – his foster parents could have turned him against her completely.

"I do not mean Zelda," a laugh. "I'm a friend of Ponine's. We're in Columbus."

Why is Gabe still trying? This boy who used to be her brother has probably forgotten all about her after all these years. He probably thinks she won't remember him.

"Is that really true," she hears awe in her little brother's voice.

"We are going to be staying at the Sheraton for the next week or so," Gabriel explains it to him. "If you could make some time to see your sister, that would be great. She really misses you, you know. None of her letters made it to you."

Wait, so he does want to see her again? He has not forgotten about her?

"I knew it," Gavin sounds like he is about to bounce around in sheer excitement.

"Can you do tomorrow," Gabe goes for the gold, and looks at her again.

She knows that there are probably tears in her eyes and maybe even on her face, but that is not something that she cares about at that particular moment. As soon as he hangs up the phone, she is climbing on top of him and giving him the biggest hug, and a huge smacker on his cheeks – both of them. She is trying to respect the Virgin Lips.

"Tomorrow morning at eleven will do nicely sir," Gavin is so clever.

"You are a clever young man, Gavin," Gabe replies. "I look forward to meeting you."

The two most important people in her life are actually going to meet. The men in her life – yeah, she really does not want Marcus to count in this aspect – are going to meet and talk, and she might have a happy meeting again. She is going to see Gavin again!

"I look forward to meeting you too," her little brother then ends the call.

And she holds true to her promise to herself. Gabriel drops the phone onto the nightstand, and as he sits down on the bed, she practically jumps on top of him to kiss his cheeks with loud smacking sounds. She wraps herself around him because she is just so grateful for everything that he has done – and because he is so amazing!

"You're welcome," he stutters out from somewhere underneath her.

Yeah, there is no attraction there, not at all.

That is not his phone or wallet in his pocket.

AN: To all the lovely people who added my fic to a rec list, or mentioned it to people: thank you! I love you all!


	10. Chapter Nine

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: It's still all Victor Hugo, really. And my twisted imagination.

AN: Holy crap, everyone! I was hoping to maybe get to 100 reviews with that latest chapter, and you all exceeded my expectations by so much. Thank you to everyone who commented on my stupid chapter title pun!

**Guest:** If you dream about my story, I need to know who you are. Seriously, you left me the craziest, most wonderful review. Let me know who you are! You're amazing!

Chapter nine: in which a boundary is crossed

They have been waiting in the lobby of the Sheraton for half an hour now. She argued that they had to be there early, just in case Gavin was as well. Gabriel told her that most teenage boys are incapable of being early – he mentioned himself as being the only exception to that rule. She knows he was right, because she has been waiting for over thirty minutes and Gavin has not yet showed. He must be there soon.

A young boy that looks familiar enough to be Gavin enters the lobby, obviously looking for someone. She wants to signal Gabe to go and talk to him, only to find that he already is talking to the boy – he probably recognized some of her characteristics in him, even though nobody has ever told her that they look even remotely alike.

"Gavin," Gabriel is asking the young boy, trying to be careful.

"Are you Eppie's boyfriend," her little brother asks, and she chokes on a laugh.

"She doesn't like to be called Eppie," Gabe knows. "And no, I'm her friend."

He is much more than a friend, but she knows that this is not the time to have that particular discussion. There is a long list of all of the things that he has done to her, and that he has come to mean to her, and his being her friend is only one bullet point on that list. He deserves to know that later, but right now all she wants to think of is that her little brother is finally standing in front of her again, after such a long time.

"Gabe," she tries to interrupt the guys, tugging at her clothes.

There he is, the most important boy in the world. His blond hair has gotten shaggy, but his blue eyes still shine with the same mischievous light, just like they always used to when he was a little kid. He is a lot taller than before, but she really had been expecting that part. The maturity in his eyes hurts, because she wanted him to stay young and carefree for as long as possible. That was what she worked for back then, and it almost feels like she has failed in that aspect. She still hopes that he is happy.

"Eppie," he uses that stupid childhood nickname that she hates.

"Gav," she rushes in to hug him, her dark hair probably hanging in his face.

His skinny body feels so right; because he has gotten so incredibly tall that his body seemingly cannot keep up. He is her kid brother and this is amazing.

"Mom and Dad said you weren't wanting to talk to me," he lets go of her.

"I sent so many letters," she tries to explain, walking to the elevators and hoping that the boys will follow, "but they were always returned to me. "Gav, I missed you something fierce. Look at you; you've gotten so big! Soon you'll be taller than me!"

She does not want to burst into tears in the middle of the hotel lobby, so she is glad when the elevator doors open quickly and the boys follow her inside. They are taking turns staring at her, and she pretends like she does not notice a damn thing.

"That's not that hard," Gav teases her, easily reaching for the top of her head.

"Oh, you little smartass," she grins at him. "You don't change, do you?"

It kind of makes her feel good that she even still recognizes him, and that he is still a lot like the boy that people made her leave behind; the boy that she gave up. She gave her family up so that they could have a better chance at life. It hurt, but it was the right thing.

"Course not," he says proudly, sticking his chest out. "You look pretty."

"Thank you," she ruffles his hair. "I love you, you little brat."

She is looking at Gabe afterwards, because she is actually kind of proud of the look that she put together for this important day. She is wearing a white ruffly top cinched in by a belt, and her favorite jeans – the ones that make her ass look out of this world. Somehow dressing to impress has started to include ways in which to drive Gabe out of his mind enough to finally talk about the tension. Still, she is happy for Gav's compliment.

"Love you too, Eppie," Gavin is fixing his hair, because he is too old for that stuff.

"Come on, let's go and talk," she is now leading both of the men into their room.

If Gavin does notice the giant bed in a room that is clearly meant for the two adults, he does not say a thing about it. It is basically the giant elephant in the room, because Gabe still has not said anything directly to her since he tried to get a peek down her shirt when she was putting her shoes on earlier. Honestly, something has got to give between the two of them, and she knows that she is going to have to make the first move, especially after the night they had. He actually held on to the side of the bed so that they would not accidentally touch in the middle of the night.

If it had not been for the boner yesterday, she would have been worried.

"I have to be home before dinner," Gavin breaks her out of her daydreams.

"Oh, that's fine," she is already planning a dinner with Gabe. "We can work it out."

His back will probably sore after the shirtless driving – and she did promise to rub some lotion if it decided to act up. That might be all the in she needs to actually get some hard truths out of him – pun definitely intended. She can make this work.

"Your friend's pretty cool," Gavin has picked up on her staring at Gabe.

"Oh yeah, Gabe's the greatest," she is grinning at the man in question.

"If you'll allow me to introduce myself," Gabe finally speaks, "I am Gabriel Enjolras."

Gabe is actually holding out a hand for Gavin to shake, and it makes her brother stand up straighter – probably because he is being treated like an adult for once. She doubts that his foster family ever tries that, because they seemingly insist on keeping him in the dark about so many important things – like her letters, for example.

This is just one of the many amazing things about Gabe, treating people like they want to and deserve to be treated. Somehow he just knows what to do.

"He's a formal sort of fellow," she tells her brother.

"I am merely being polite," Gabriel just has to protest to that.

"You are merely being awesome," she sticks her tongue out, grinning widely as she starts getting closer and closer to him. "Thank you so much!"

Just like that, she pretty much jumps on him again, because she cannot stop thanking him and this is currently the only way she knows how to do it. Her brain has pretty much short-circuited and it feels like the right thing to do.

Her legs are wrapped around his waist, and it is too easy to lean in and plant a giant peck on his lips – only that is not even what she meant to do. The spark between the two of them surprises her so much that she freezes, no longer knowing what to do. Looking at him for help is not an option, because he is probably even more surprised than she is at the moment. His hands are on her thighs, helping hold her up, but the look in his eyes is devastating – he is weary and distant, and he cannot look her in the eyes.

"You're the best," she speaks softly, and moves to stand on her own two feet.

"Later," he tells her firmly, not looking her in the eyes, but speaking in her ear.

Finally, she is back on her feet, and the dizziness she feels has everything to do with the risk that she just took. She could have just ruined everything – and in front of her little brother at that. Oh, she should have learned a long time ago that going with her gut does not pay off for her. She should have kept her distance, she really should have, but she really did think that he was interested in her as well. She hopes he still is.

"So, this is more than a bit awkward," Gavin finally pipes in with his usual charm.

"Sorry about that," Gabriel is blushing again, his face extremely red.

They both cannot seem to look at each other, because looking each other means that they are thinking about what just happened. They cannot be thinking about what just happened because her brother is right there in the room with them and this is not the time to discuss anything. It is awkward enough when it is just the two of them, let alone with a third person present – and the third person being a relative.

"You said you weren't her boyfriend," her little brother is a little shit.

"That's because he's not," she holds her head high, trying to look proud and confident, rather than shaky and unsure. "We only met about a week ago."

Clearly that is not enough of an explanation for Gavin, but she really does not want to discuss this any further, so she gives him The Look – the one she always used to use when she was the strictest big sister that she had ever known. She had to be, because there was little money, little adult presence, and nothing but a lot of love to keep the three of them going – and then it became the two of them and just her.

"How have you been, Gav," she asks then, her voice soft and unsteady.

"Zelda's become even worse," he starts, shrugging as if their sister's superficial ways mean nothing to the two of them. "She's dating some wealthy jock, of course, and Mom gives her lots of new stuff so that she can keep his attention. I've been busy trying to break out and come to Chicago to finally see you again."

He has been busy doing what exactly? Her little brother is such a marvel – and she really is glad to hear that he has missed her as much as she missed him, though she does not approve of the more dangerous ideas he must have followed up on. A part of her just wants to know how close to the city he has gotten, the sneaky little brat.

"Gavin," is all that she says instead, because nothing else will come out.

"You two are more alike than you seem at first glance," Gabriel is amused.

This would be way more amusing if she had not heard it so many times before – and she actually kind of missed hearing it over the last couple of years. Everyone is always so surprised to find out that she and Gav are siblings – his dirty blonde hair is a callback to her father, and she has always favored her mother's darker coloring. Most of their similarities are in character and their ways of carrying themselves.

"Zelda's the odd one out," Gavin tells him, scrunching up his face in annoyance.

"If you do end up meeting Zelda," she starts, because Gabe should probably get some amount of explanation about this, "you should be prepared for her to never stop hitting on you, because you are handsome and rich. She is not going to care very much that we are – whatever we are. She wouldn't care if we were married, because that is just what she's like. That is what she has always been like. It has probably gotten worse now that she is closer to legal age. But I really wouldn't know about that."

Of course, even with a relatively safe topic like her kid sister, there still have to be mentions of the incredible awkwardness that surrounds them. Still, if Zelda is going to be a part of these family outings, Gabe deserves to have advanced warning.

"You're pretty much right," Gavin agrees with her, to Gabe's great surprise.

"Okay, family meetings could be really awkward," she is trying to talk over the weird moments. "But since you're the one who brought everyone together again, I'm going to keep kicking your ass until you agree to come along. Zelda is definitely going to make you extremely uncomfortable, but I will totally owe you one."

She can add that to the list of favors that she undoubtedly already owes him for all of the things that he has already done for her. Only she knows that he is not doing this to get anything from her in return, because he is not that kind of guy, and he would never ask anything of her that she was not willing to give him. Still, he does not know that there are very many things that she is willing to give him; much more than he knows.

"I am extremely interested," Gabriel is teasing, and it makes her smile.

This is just another thing that they can discuss when her brother leaves for the day – and that is starting to become a long list. Oh well, they have plenty of time to cover it all.

"So, what are our plans for the day," Gavin interrupts the moment.

Oops, they have been staring at each other for a bit too long.

"We'll think of something," she promises her little brother.

AN: Everyone, if you want to, you can come hang out on Tumblr with me (textsfromumbridge) and share your anticipation for the elusive chapter 10. If you're all really lucky, I will update on Saturday night with that wonderful chapter. In the meantime, let me know what you think of this one!


	11. Chapter Ten

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Still not mine. I haven't even finished the Brick yet.

AN: Here it is. Lotion, talking… Other things. Shout-out to the lovely guest reviewer **Isabelle**, who continues to give lovely reviews! Also to **backseatserenade12** on Tumblr, who's been lovely during the E/E drama going on there.

Chapter ten: in which there is rubbing – of lotion

After extracting a promise from Gavin to meet them the next day at the local zoo – which supposedly is one of the best or the best in the country – he leaves them to go back to the evil foster family. That leaves her alone with Gabriel – finally.

He is looking around, seemingly trying to find something. She wonders if he really needs something or if he is just trying to avoid the conversation that must happen.

"Are you hungry," he finally asks her, and she has to hide a laugh.

"I already ordered room service for us," she replies, triumphantly sitting on the bed.

She feels like flopping down and stretching wide on the bed, but she is worried about the image that this might present to him if he decides to look at her ever again – and that it might give him a minor heart attack. Then again, she is actually wearing pants and there will not be that much to see even if she does decide to strike a pose.

"Why," he does not seem to understand what is really going on.

"Because we need to talk," she tells him, wondering why he had not remembered.

Was he honestly scared and hesitant now? She did not have him pegged as the scared type, seeing as he was so willing to put himself aside to help others. He plans protests and has no fear of the administration's retributions. But emotions, that might be something that he has trouble dealing with, especially when the romance aspect is featured in it. Honestly, they are both scared – only she is going for it right now, taking the bull by the horns, instead of waiting a while to gather some courage.

"I know," he finally admits to her, sitting down on the bed, right next to her.

"And because you made me promise to do your back," she rubs her hands with glee.

The lotion has been dragged out of her bag, and she is ready to do this. Having him shirtless when they are supposed to talk through some serious issues is probably going to hinder rather than help, but she cannot seem to find it in herself to care. He deserves the pampering and she is more than happy to treat him a little.

"Are you sure you don't just want me to take off my shirt," he asks, trying to tease.

"That too," she responds casually. "Now, seriously, I just want to put some lotion on it."

The innuendoes are rampant, and for now she has decided to just go with it, and think of as many lines as possible that could possibly be some sort of innuendo. She kind of wants to take him by surprise and the best way she knows how to do that is with every kind of innuendo or any kind of mention of sex. Since they will actually be discussing this very topic, it seems more than a little appropriate to go this route.

"Did you take a college course in Innuendoes 101," he sounds frustrated.

"I'm way more advanced than that," she winks at him, "but no."

At this point, he has finally taken his shirt off, and she gets that wonderful view that she has been waiting for. He is not really that red – she can see that, even though she is a bit distracted by the muscles on display that she still did not expect. There are no perfect six-pack abs, but his stomach is tight and probably really comfortable to lay down on when cuddling. She is a big fan of his arms – but his face is probably her favorite part of him, of the parts that she has seen so far. Of course, she is hoping to see much more.

"Lay down on your stomach for me," she is saving the front for later.

He complies like a good little boy, and she is almost giddy with the power. The lotion bottle is in her hand, and she squeezes just a bit of lotion onto his shoulder blades.

"Cold," he whines, something that she completely ignores.

The second she starts rubbing the oily lotion into his skin, he sighs and some of his tense muscles finally start to relax a little bit. She is not an experienced massage therapist, but even she can figure out that he won't break if she rubs him just a bit harder – and the innuendo squad has made another visit and she is keeping it going in her head.

"More cold coming up," she teases as she pours on some more lotion.

"Umphf," is the unintelligible sound that he lets out as a response. "Good."

And, she has hit the jackpot. She has reached his lower back, and not only does he have these gorgeous dimples on his back that she really wants to worship with her tongue; he also has a very nice behind that she feels she should study more closely.

"Hold on," she tells him as she straddles his back for more reach.

"What are you doing," he immediately freaks out.

"I need better reach," she replies innocently. "Relax. You're undoing my hard work."

His back has tensed up again, so she has to repeat some of her earlier movements – not that she minds that at all. The dimples are extremely distracting, and since she is straddling his thighs, she cannot shift too much without things becoming even more awkward than they already are. There is more tension in her body than there is in his now, and she should be satisfied with that. Now, for the hard part – pun intended.

"Turn around," she orders, climbing off with relative ease.

"Give me a minute," he requests, his voice slightly muffled by the pillows.

Please let there be a hard issue keeping him from turning around.

The nerves are definitely getting to her, and the stupid puns she is making – at least in her mind – are kind of helping her feel more at ease. She knows that imagining like this is any other guy she is seducing would make it easier for her to deal with, but she does not want to lose sight of the fact that Gabe is not like any of the other guys. She is as nervous as he is, and maybe she should gather up the courage to tell him that.

He takes a deep breath and turns to his back – and yes, she can tell that there is a hard issue there, but she is not going to embarrass him about that.

"Now that we are face to face," she starts, "we can start to actually talk about things."

She climbs back up to straddle him, and something might be poking her a little, making him even more embarrassed than he already is. The lotion is in her hands again, and she pours some more onto his chest – oh, this is a wonderful job. He does not flinch that much this time, but he does seem to be determined to look anywhere but at her. If they do end up becoming something more, he is going to have to start looking at her.

"This is not awkward at all," he tells her, not looking her in the eyes.

"I'm more than kind of into this," she responds, still rubbing the lotion into his muscles with a smile on her face. "In fact, I am all kinds of into this. And I'm kind of into you."

It is not the most eloquent way in which she could have told him that, but she has never been that eloquent anyway – if she had been trying for the perfect words she would have screwed up and have insulted him in some way. That was not what she was going for.

"Yeah, I like you too," he says as if this does not mean a thing.

"What I mean to say is that," she tries to find some words that will get her point across a little better and a little clearer, "while I really love having a best friend like you, I'm also extremely attracted to you. Yes, that means that I kind of want to do you right now, but I also try to respect your boundaries because you are not that kind of guy."

She is really trying for this relationship, because she knows that she wants this and if he wants it as well it could be something rather wonderful. They have not known each other for a very long time, but the connection is still there. The bad secrets are already out, and it is not like she is still interested in Marcus – Gabe is superior to him in so many ways, and she feels like an idiot for not seeing that before. Then again, if she had noticed Gabe before, it would not have mattered, since he never noticed women.

He has noticed her now, and that makes her feel wonderful and special.

"You are attracted to me," he manages to blank on that part.

"Are you kidding me," she is a little frustrated at the lack of comprehension. "Yes! Very much so, because I don't make just any guy take his shirt off in front of me."

What else does she have to do to prove this to him? She is perfectly willing to jump him again, but she knows that this will only make things worse with him.

"But you don't do relationships," he argues yet again.

"I didn't use to do those, but maybe I could," she hates that she even has to try to persuade him to date her, after everything. "Why are you still so surprised? Was I not clear enough before? I did kiss you. Remember? I am laying my heart out on the line here, and all that I get from you is stunned surprise and awkward denial."

The massage – or the sorry excuse for one – is just about done, but she really does not want to stop touching him. It is sad, yet again falling for a guy who just does not see it – only this time she knows that there is still a chance for them. He needs to listen.

"I just don't get it," the smartest guy she knows is completely lost.

"What is left to get," she has to ask. "I think I've explained it all."

Can he really not believe this? Maybe it is the problem that he does not want to believe it, for whatever reason. She just wants him to understand, and to like her as well.

"Why would someone like you, like me," he asks in return, and she finally gets it.

"Now you are the one who needs a list," she smiles softly, finally seeing what his concerns are all about. "Let's see. Where do I even start? You are smart – like seriously, you are the smartest guy I know. You've been kinder to me than anyone ever has in my entire life – bar none. You can be so funny and you don't give yourself nearly enough credit for that, because you want to be seen as the serious guy. You have this smile that could bring a girl to her knees – dirty meanings occasionally intended. And let's face it. You are completely gorgeous. I want to put my tongue in those dimples on your back – and that is just one place on my list of many."

There is a very long mental list of places on his body where she wants to put her hands and/or tongue, and she has no problems with listing all of these places out loud – as long as he blushes and lets her try at least a couple eventually. A girl can dream.

"I'm trying really hard not to freak out," he is blushing, and he looks shy again.

"I really love making you blush," she grins, leaning in a little. "It makes life more fun."

She is now trying not to lie down on his chest, instead opting to stretch her arms out beside him and leaning on them, slowly moving her face closer to his.

"I've never even kissed a girl," he tells her again.

"If you want to, we can change that," she offers up, "whenever you want."

And this is as far as she goes, because she can only go out on a limb so many times before she bails out on this attempt at a relationship. Honestly, she has to get out when she still has a heart left to break – the melodramatics are bit of an exaggeration, but she is still not willing to let herself get hurt even more than she already has been.

"Do you even feel that way about me," she makes one final effort.

"Didn't I already tell you that I do," he is argumentative now. "You didn't want to hear one bit of it. Now I'm just hoping that you won't change your mind again because I've never felt this way about anyone ever before. Are you serious about this?"

Oh shit. She has pretty much screwed this up just by being herself – and she has done it before they even got to Columbus. If she can just explain this to his satisfaction, maybe this thing can still be salvaged – still, he makes a good point. She has sort of rejected his feelings before, and he has every reason to be weary about her apparent change of heart, even though the only thing that has really changed is her level of fear.

"I was scared, okay," she gets even closer to his face. "Heck, I am still scared."

The second after she admits that, he uses the leverage she never knew she gave him to flip them around until he is the one on top. She is out of breath and extremely turned on – especially when she sees how dilated his pupils are. He wants her.

"Me too," he whispers in her ear. "Now stay still."

She has opened her legs a little, so that he can comfortably settle between them. He is leaning on his elbows, trying not to crush her while he moves into a more comfortable position. There is a hint of a smile on his face, but it is almost completely hidden beneath the fear and trepidation that he is showing. She could probably help him, but she also knows that he has to do this thing himself – he has to kiss her.

He finally leans in – her heart starts to beat faster – to plant a soft kiss on her lips. It is too quick for her to call it a proper kiss, but it is still a start. She smiles at him, trying to encourage him without outright begging for more.

There is absolutely no movement from him, and she needs more.

"Gabe," her whine sounds more like a soft plea for more, please more.

The grin on his face proves that he was waiting for both her permission to move ahead and for her to acknowledge that she really wants him. She wants to call him on that, but she is a little bit too distracted by his lips trailing from her jaw back to her mouth, where he lingers again. His hair is just in her grasp at that point, and she pulls at it, making sure that he knows where she wants him. Another proud smirk on his face – he is really good at those – and he finally, finally, finally, does what she wants him to do.

It is kind of perfect.

Yes, it is kind of awkward at first, with him not exactly knowing how to move his mouth at first – but then he tries it again and she has never been so grateful for him being a quick study. There is even a soft nibble on her lower lip – the bastard.

"Oh," she gasps, surprised that he would know that move.

She is not usually this passive, but he needs to take the lead so that he knows that he can do this. She vehemently concurs that he is good at this already.

So she slips him some tongue, which obviously surprises him a little. She shows him gently, just how she likes to be kissed, and he follows along and even thinks of things that she has never felt before – Gabe has a wonderful tongue and a creative mind and she is definitely reaping the benefits of that. He continues to surprise her.

"Do I pass the test," he teases when he draws back a little.

"Flying colors," she manages to say before she pulls him back on top of her.

He pretty much redefined the testing standards for her – because mixing their feelings and their incredible chemistry makes for some amazing moments. Honestly, she is voting that this happens multiple times an hour from now until her death.

Sleep is overrated anyway, she knows that much.

Apparently Gabe did miss the memo about not talking during kissing – because talking meant there was no kissing. Talking in-between kisses is perfectly okay with her, but right now she just wants to touch him as much as he will let her – she really is trying to respect his boundaries, but she is having some problems with not letting her hands roam free all over him. So she keeps her arms around his neck, hands in his hair.

"So, we are doing this," he asks, once again stopping the awesome.

"I'll call you my boyfriend or whatever you want to be called, Lips," she grins at him.

Honestly, she has not called a guy her boyfriend since maybe elementary school, when having a boyfriend was the thing you needed to be popular. Of course, back then a boyfriend would barely hold your hand because boys had cooties and they were really gross. She is perfectly okay with having Gabe as her first real relationship.

"That nickname is going to get us into so much trouble," he laughs.

As she imagines the looks on people's faces at the university, she pulls him back down to her for another kiss. Why stop now?

AN: So you see, Virgin Lips no more. Tell me if that made you happy!


	12. Chapter Eleven

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: It is still not mine. Writing these is getting tedious.

AN: So, I hear I may have made some people very happy with the last chapter. This chapter is less exciting in that way, but I promise they are adorable and Gav is the coolest kid. Also, you get to meet Zelda…

**Isabelle:** Well, in my opinion Gabe had to kiss her. Relationships are new for him, and for him to start it means that he won't do something he's not ready for. Also, you know, it's a big leap for him into this new world, and the kiss is just a symbol for the start of that. They both have to learn what being in a real relationship is like, which is what the next few chapters will deal with. Just wait until the Amies find out =P… (And dang girl, I wish I could actually write epic length replies to you in private…)

Chapter eleven: In which Lips meets his biggest fan

So, Gavin called to let them know that Zelda was going to be joining them at the zoo – that kind of killed the buzz that she had going on. Really, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with Gabriel again, and occasionally come out to hang out with her favorite sibling. She had no real desire to go out in public, and especially not with Zelda there.

They are now waiting at the entrance of the zoo, holding their tickets in hand and hoping that Zelda has changed her mind about coming with Gavin. She is finally happy with things, and now Zelda has come to ruin it all – a view that she has tried to change ever since childhood, but her sister has always made that very difficult. Zelda never really changes, and that continues to worry her, because Zelda is her mother's daughter.

Gavin has only inherited a sense of adventure and skill at sizing people up, but Zelda has inherited a lack of a moral compass, because she seemingly has no problems with using people for their money and other benefits. She is going to end up in trouble.

Right now, she is mostly concerned about her jumping on her Gabe.

"I apologize beforehand for whatever Zelda will do," she tells him, linking their arms.

"We can make it up to each other later," he wiggles his eyebrows exaggeratedly.

She has to laugh at that, because while he is phrasing it as a joke, the option is still actually there for the both of them. After this day – one that is undoubtedly going to be tiring and occasionally annoying – they can crawl into their shared bed and make each other feel better. With this, she does indeed mean kissing, and hopefully more.

"Did you just do the innuendo," she teases gently. "I am so impressed."

Her being impressed is just an excuse for her to plant a lingering kiss on his lips – and then turn away to leave him wanting more. Only, he is not falling for that, and he pulls her right back to him with a smile on his face. They kiss again.

"You're adorable," he tells her when he lets go.

That just so happens to be the moment that she notices her sister.

"Ugh, here she comes," she pouts and Gabe puts an arm around her.

Zelda is dressed immaculately, and of course in a way too chic fashion for her to be comfortable during a day at the zoo. She might break an ankle in those stiletto heels, and she is secretly hoping that the pancake layer of make-up on her sister's face gets badly smudged during the day. Also, is she really wearing a miniskirt?

Is her sister honestly trying to seduce Gabe before she has even met him?

"Hi Eppie and Gabe," Gavin rushes at them to give them a big hug.

"Hello Gavin," her now boyfriend is hesitantly included in the family hug.

So, somehow Gavin already knows that Gabriel is a part of their family. Then again, he has treated him like an honorary brother since the minute he met him – joking with him and growing several metaphorical inches because of the mature treatment that he is finally receiving from some people. Those people being both her and Gabe, because they had both seen that this boy was incredibly mature and smart for his age.

He deserved more credit than he was getting, because apparently Gavin's foster parents cannot see through his mischief and notice the intelligence underneath.

"Gabriel, meet Zelda," Gavin does not delay the inevitable. "She's our other sister."

Zelda is already eyeing him up and down, noticing that while he is dressed casually, he cuts a nice figure, and his clothes tell tales of his money. Her sister has already chosen him as her next target, and she can see it in her eyes.

She cannot take Gabe away from her. She will not allow it.

"It is very nice to meet you," Gabriel holds out a hand for Zelda to shake.

"Well hello handsome," her sister is purring, shaking Gabe's hand carefully.

"Don't, Zelda," she has to warn her. "Just stop before you embarrass yourself."

While she was chastising her sister, the other girl had already moved closer to Gabriel, trying to link her arm with his – not that he was letting that happen. He is politely trying to extract himself from her sister, and moving closer to her in a show of whom he was with and whom he would rather avoid. He is still standing with her. That gives her hope.

"Gavin said that he was not yours," a pout from Zelda makes her roll her eyes.

"Maybe I wasn't yesterday, but I am now," he says that so proudly.

It seems as if he is proud to be hers, which is not something that has ever happened to her before. Most guys always tried to not mention her last name, avoiding the slightest possibility of being formally associated with her and her family. It seems that once again, Gabe is the first. It is starting to become a bit of a trend in her new life.

"I don't think we own each other, but okay," she shrugs. "Yeah, he's mine."

There is this old nineties – or early two thousands – song that tells of two woman battling over one boy. This is not turning out like that, because Zelda has absolutely no claim to Gabriel, and she is actually officially dating him. They have not yet made it Facebook official – something that they both find ridiculous – because it will be more fun to see people's reactions in real life. The Amies won't know what hit them.

"I knew it," Gavin is grinning widely, obviously happy at this change.

"I didn't lie to you yesterday, Gavin," she needs to explain. "I wouldn't lie to you."

The fact that Gavin's response to this relationship is so positive makes her feel a lot better about it. If her brother thinks that Gabe is good enough for her, they agree yet again. Actually, she personally thinks that Gabe is way out of her league, but Gavin will probably be more biased in her direction. It is good that he is happy.

"I know," he is smiling at her. "Can we go see the polar bears first?"

"Sure," she tells him as she grabs Gabe's hand tightly.

He is right there with her, still trying to get away from Zelda. Their hands are a perfect fit, something that should freak her out, but really doesn't. They are acting like the couples that she used to resent when she had no one to count on. She knows that she will always be able to count on Gabe – he is almost too loyal for his own good.

"I'll race you," she teases Gabe, untangling herself from him.

"The winner gets what exactly," he asks in return, his pupils dilated.

She has taught him well – only she didn't really have to teach him anything. She wants him just as badly as he wants her, but they made this promise to Gavin and she does not break her promises to her little brother. Still, this does not mean that they can't get something out of this trip. They are still the same people who played truth or strip on the car ride over to Columbus, and a bet or race would be great here as well.

"We'll figure out the sexual favors later," she winks at him.

"Not in front of your siblings now, please," Gabe is not happy she used those terms at this moment. "I wouldn't want to scar Gavin for life. He looks like he might hurl."

Indeed, her little brother does look a bit green around the gills. No wonder, because he is still at that age when girls have cooties and they can barely be friends. Well, Gav can probably be friends with a girl, but he sure as hell is not touching one.

"Sorry Gav," she is the one blushing this time around.

"You're happy," her little brother shrugs. "That's nice."

Her happiness is so obvious to everyone that even if she does not tell people that she has a boyfriend now, they will know immediately just by the excited look on her face. As long as she does not become this disgusting person who cannot talk about anything but her perfect relationship, she should be fine. Sure, she really likes doing this couple-y stuff with Gabe, but she is much too attached to her independence to be around him constantly, begging for his attention. She is better than that.

"Right now you're happy," Zelda is skeptical. "You are always happy at first."

What the hell is that supposed to mean? She has never been in a relationship before, so there is no always in this situation. Zelda is seriously trying to attempt to make her doubt this, or to make Gabriel doubt her. She is not having any of that.

"In what universe have I been in a relationship before," she questions harshly.

"Oh, this one is a relationship," Zelda is dismissive and mocking.

Yes, she has had a few flings, but those did not last long and they were pretty much completely based on sex and money. She gave out sex, the guy gave out money, and they were both happy. She is good in bed, apparently, and not too unfortunate looking. Well, that was almost a direct quote from one of the more awkward guys.

"Back off, Zelda," she warns yet again – trying not to believe her.

"He'll get sick of you," a taunt that she does not want to rise to. "They always do."

She is right about that – nobody has managed to stick with her for very long, in any kind of capacity. Her parents left her, her siblings were taken away, and all of the guys she slept with left her pretty soon after that. She wants Gabriel to be different, as he has been for everything else so far, but her experience tells her otherwise. She is too far in to escape the heartbreak that is undoubtedly coming for her.

"Who says that it won't be the other way around," Gabe makes it a genuine question.

"Me," she has to answer him immediately. "I say that."

It is so easy to fall in love with him – even though he is occasionally clueless about relationships, and he gets way too serious about things. There are some little things that might start to bug her about him, but those are not enough reason to leave him behind – not even if the sex is terrible, something that she seriously doubts, seeing as he is very intuitive. He can read her well, something that both terrifies and excites her. She is very curious how well that translates between the sheets, though.

"You are getting suspiciously romantic, Ponine," he teases her.

"Shut it, Lips," she plants a quick kiss on those lips and turns back to her siblings.

Really, she wants to spend this day at the zoo with her two favorite men, and she does not care what Zelda decides to do. She missed her, she really did, but when she actually spends time with her, she would rather just walk away.

"I missed you, sis," she turns to her sister. "I really did. Now you have two options: you can continue to harass my boyfriend or lover and I will continue to give you shit and eventually send you away. Option two: you can behave like the person you can still be and keep your paws off people who are taken. Then we can have a family outing."

It is surprising enough that she actually wants to spend time with her sister again, and figure out what kind of person she is underneath the bravado and superficiality.

"A family outing without Mom and Dad," Zelda seems to be serious about that.

"Of course," she rolls her eyes, because she cannot understand. "Besides the fact that they will be in jail for the foreseeable future, I would not want to talk to them ever again, for the rest of my natural born life. They ruined our lives, Zelda! They are not good people and they never will be! You have no idea how much damage they have caused in our lives. You don't know what I did, what I had to do! I'm glad you don't, really I am, because you shouldn't have to, but don't think I'll ever talk to them again."

She cannot breathe. There are too many bad memories flitting through her head, the images flickering and tangling in their haste to be remembered. Some memories have blended together in their awfulness, and the pain rushes back in waves. The acid that is trying to come back up has to be washed down with deep cleansing breaths.

Gabe is right there next to her, and he keeps holding on to her. He stays.

"Ponine," is everything that Gabe says, and it is enough.

"I don't want to talk about it," she tells him, even though he already knows.

"You don't have to," he replies, just to make sure that she knows that he knows.

This conversation must happen at some point, but she does not want it to happen at a busy zoo with her siblings right there. Gavin must never know. Just telling Gabriel about it will be difficult and painful enough, and she is not looking forward to that. But if he has decided to date her, to be her partner in life, he deserves to know the person whom he is dealing with and what damage she has and what triggers he really has to avoid.

"Go home Zelda," Gavin orders their sister around. "You've done enough damage."

Will Zelda actually listen to him? She doubts that the other girl ever listens to anything but the sound of her own voice, no matter how harsh that might sound.

"Whatever," Zelda does turn around and she walks away.

With Gabe's arms around her, it is much easier not to collapse, and to pull herself together enough to finish this day with her brother – one of the few opportunities that she will have to see him before he turns eighteen. She can totally do this.

"Let's go see some polar bears," she takes a deep breath.

Her two favorite men are by her side. She can do everything now. She's not alone.

AN: Yeah, so a bit different than the last one. The next one will address some of the things mentioned in this chapter, as our characters change cities again.

Shameless plug: I'm writing an E/E one-shot with the following summary:

Really, it is all R's fault. He was the one who left him in the sex shop with the girl in the naughty nurse outfit and no way to get home. Or: how Gabriel Enjolras met the love of his life.

It will be up soon, because the response I got on Tumblr for this idea has been amazing…


	13. Chapter Twelve

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Victor Hugo wouldn't know what to do with my version.

AN: This is a pretty heavy chapter. Just saying.

Chapter twelve: in which good things must come to an end

They don't necessarily have to move on, but they are risking being found out by the Yorks every single day they stick around. She is not sure about the law aspect of the whole thing, but they have forbidden her from seeing her siblings and she should probably obey that as much as possible, only she really cannot do that.

She has already made arrangements for weekly Skype talks with Gavin, and they have exchanged e-mail addresses so that they can talk as much as they like. They can't really see each other much, but this is still much better than it was before.

"It was really nice to meet you, Gavin," Gabe hates the goodbye as well.

They are at the hotel's parking garage, standing outside the car. The bags are in the car, and they probably should be leaving, but she cannot make herself move. Every step that she takes is another step away from her little brother, and having to leave him behind is killing her. She would take him with her and hide him in her dorm room if she could – but that would get them all in too much trouble. She cannot provide for him anyway, no matter how much she would want to. This is the best thing, at least for now.

"Take care of Eppie," her little brother orders, trying to make himself look bigger than he actually is. "If you hurt her, I'll make things hell for you. I promise you that."

It actually kind of makes her laugh; the way Gavin is puffing out his chest to look strong and intimidating. She loves him for this. He still thinks that she is worth this protection, even though she is merely his skank older sister who has been written off by everyone but him – and now she has Gabe by her side as well. She loves her boys.

"I love you, Gav," she tells him, trying really hard not to start crying.

"Love you too, Eppie," he comes in for another hug. "I'll write you. And we'll Skype every week when Mom and Dad are not there. You can do it!"

She knows that those little things will not actually be enough for her, but it is still more than she had over the last four years or so. She actually gets to see her little brother every week, even though it is just going to be on her computer screen. Any contact with him is better than none, but she has trouble letting go of this face time.

"Columbus is not that far from Chicago," Gabe reminds them both.

"We can do this," she finally lets go of Gavin. "I'll see you soon, Gav."

After taking another deep breath, she finally gets into the passenger seat of the car, since she might be a bit too teary-eyed to drive at the moment. She still has Gabriel with her, and they are just about due for a serious conversation – one step at a time.

"Bye sis," Gavin waves at them when they drive out of the garage.

"Your brother is the most amazing kid I've ever met," Gabe tells her as they enter the city traffic. "And I have a feeling that that is mostly because of you."

She is going to deny that compliment, she really is, but she knows that there are more significant things that they have yet to discuss – even though she would keep it from him forever if that meant that he would still love her and stay with her. She knows that this info is a deal breaker, and she will not be able to blame him if he sees it as such and drops her off at her dorm and never talks to her again.

"About what Zelda said at the zoo," she tries to gently broach the subject.

"Are we talking about that now," he asks, trying to tease her.

"Yeah," she is not in the mood to joke about this particular subject. "I'm sorry. It's just that that is not something I'm proud of. I did some really stupid things to keep those kids in clothes and food. If I knew of any other way to do that, I would have tried that, but I was sixteen and stupid and not allowed to quit school to get a job."

This is probably one of the worst conversations that she has ever had to have. This is another one of those pivotal moments in her life – one that's bound to end badly.

"What are we talking about here," he questions. "How stupid did you get?"

There really are no words for just how stupid she got. She is proud that she managed to keep her siblings alive, healthy, and happy in the mess that was their life, but she is more than a little embarrassed about her methods. He still deserves to know.

"I might have gotten some rich guys who weren't able to get a girlfriend to give me money if I'd have sex with them," she phrases it so casually because she does not know in what other way she could possibly say it. "I might have worked as a stripper for about a week, until the owner figured out that I was only sixteen. I never did anything really illegal, but I straddled the line pretty closely until they took them away to get adopted. They were only looking for two kids, a boy and a girl. I didn't fit the picture."

Of course she did not fit their picture of a perfect little family – she was basically a teenage prostitute for fuck's sake. She was sixteen – too old – and she was the little breadwinner – too damaged – of their little family. They did not even know about the men, but they saw in her face that she was never going to be a good person.

"Jesus, Eponine," Gabe has blanched, keeping his focus on the road.

"You can drop me off at my dorm and forget all about me if you want," she offers.

She would not be able to blame him if he chose that option. He only met her two or three weeks ago, and while he has completely turned her world upside down, he does not necessarily have to deal with all of her shit just because he likes her.

"Just give me a minute to digest this," he practically orders her.

"I just told you that I was basically an underage whore and you're still here," she can't believe his relative nonchalance on the matter, expecting to be kicked out already.

Most men – lesser men – would have given up on her and this relationship right about now, but Gabriel Enjolras continues to surprise her. He is the human rights enthusiast out of the two of them, and he would understand some of these things, but she always thought that this could only go so far. Still, he is right beside her.

"Where else would I be," he continues to be stalwart and steadfast.

"Pulling over and kicking me out of the car," she offers up a possibility.

He makes a face at her, as if the sheer idea of that is just ridiculous. He must really like or love her if he is still there, and that gives her hope. They might just be able to salvage this relationship, even though he is way out of her league and he probably should not have to deal with the demons in her past – and occasionally her present as well. He should be dating some fresh-faced ingénue, but he would rather be with her.

"I wish I could have met you sooner," his right hand is now on her thigh.

"I don't," she scoffs, imagining this. "I probably would have used you shamelessly."

She still is not sure whether she is really ready to be in a serious relationship with him now, let alone several years ago when she was still raw and reeling. She has managed to put herself back together since her siblings were taken from her, and she has grown so very much since the aftermath. He should not have to see something so raw, and she is glad that he never had to. Imagining him during that time of her life is strange; because there is no way that he would have fit in. She would have hurt him so badly.

"My charms would have won you over even then," he is grinning now.

His charms can win anyone over, but he has never bothered to try to win anyone over until he met her. He has never been won over by anyone but her. She is not sure whether he even wanted to be won over, but it is the case right now. It is his luck that she is probably even more won over by him than he is by her.

"Tell me of our teenage love affair," he muses, a shy grin on his face.

As much as she wants to imagine this happy love story between the two of them, she is also realistic enough to deny this whole idea. They are not those people; the happy naïve young ones who fell in love and lived happily ever after. She is damaged and he loves her anyway, and that is worth more than enough for her – more than anything.

"Are you serious about this," she is stunned at his willingness to do this.

"I'm completely serious," he replies with a smile.

"Where would we even have met," she cannot think of one single thing.

They lived completely different lives back then; just like they still live very different lives at the moment. Their lives were lucky enough to intersect through Marcus, and because they studied at the same university, but there is really no way in which they possibly could have met in a logical way. There are so many people on campus, and the odds of the two of them meeting would have been small, had it not been for Marcus and the Amies. The road trip is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

"We met on a random field trip that I was taking with school," Gabe is pensive.

"I saw you and figured that you might need a popularity boost," she just goes along with it, "so I totally faked a meet-cute and kissed you in front of all of your friends."

That she can imagine, trying to use him as a mark, because he would have stood out from the crowd even during the awkward teenage years. She would have been attracted to his gorgeous face and body even then, and she would have known how to use her body for her advantage – and she would have done so without hesitation.

"I lost my heart to you that day," he faux-confesses, and her heart stops.

He is not just talking about a fantasy encounter; he is actually talking about the first day during which they actually interacted. Here he is, trying to tell her that he knew he'd fall for her the day that they met. It is not as disgustingly romantic as the story of Marcus and his Cosette, but she still appreciates the sweetness and the truth in his statement.

"Gabe," she has lost all ability to form a coherent sentence.

How is it that he can continue to surprise her and be so wonderful to her? She hopes that she can come to mean at least half as much to him as he already means to her.

"Oh, that was not completely fictional," he is smiling at her.

Of course, he is stating the obvious at this point, but it is still incredibly charming. He is operating the car with his left hand, and his right hand is on her thigh – he looks carefree and happy, even after the terrible things she just told him.

"I'm trying really hard not to jump you right now," she confesses, moving his hand a few inches higher on her thigh, giving him a glimpse of what he is now missing.

"I really appreciate that, since I'm operating a moving vehicle," his voice is rough.

She knows that she is turning him on at that moment, and she probably should get his hand further away from sensitive areas – but she is enjoying these lighthearted moments way too much. There is not that much time left on their almost romantic vacation, and she really just wants to make the most of it. She can do that this way.

"You're a dork and I love it," she announces, hoping to get that through to him.

"That's good, because I'm not changing anytime soon," he is only slightly joking.

Just the thought of becoming someone different, the thought of him letting the relative fame of being a student political leader go to his head – those thoughts are both painful and ridiculous. If he was anyone other than he is right now he would not love her – and that is truly the hardest part of the idea to digest. Then again, she probably would not love him either. That still does not negate that he has meant so much to her in such a short amount of time, and him changing would mess that all up.

She loves him just the way he is – no matter how terrifying that is.

"I wouldn't want you to," she takes a serious approach to her response.

It would be great if he felt that way about her too – and she suspects that that is the truth. She is really trying not to be insecure about this, but past demons do not go away so easily. Still, the smile on his face tells her that she makes him happy.

"Not even my more annoying serious tendencies," he tries to joke about it.

"Nah, I've grown to appreciate them," she continues to be serious about Gabe.

Honestly, while occasionally she might roll her eyes at some of his habits, they also tend to make her smile or giggle at other times. He makes her very happy, and everyone and everything else can just shut up and go the hell away. She might be more than a little worried about the response that they are going to get to their relationship – especially from the Amies – but she knows that he is not swayed easily. They will be fine.

"So, what happened to our teenage love affair," he asks her, still on that topic.

As she ponders what could have happened between the two of them in another life, they are getting closer and closer to real life. She is sure that this relationship will come along to that life with them, but she also knows that there will be a lot less freedom for the two of them to do whatever they want. A lot of their freedom will be gone.

"I made you look really good," she purses her lips, practicing her model pose.

"All of my friends were jealous of me," he grins, knowing that could still be true now.

For some reason, he actually seems to believe that this could happen even in real life – she cannot believe this. He believes that she is worth it; he believes that people will actually envy him because he is in a relationship with her. Why would men envy him for getting her? She is just used and broken goods – then again, if people do not know about that, she is a rather beautiful and interesting young woman. Maybe he is right.

"I tried not to like you, but I couldn't help myself," she admits a truth.

"We would have gotten married straight out of high school," Gabe surprises her again.

This is classic Gabriel, when she stops to think about this. He would have wanted to save her from her life, even in an overly romantic alternate universe in which she has him to make everything better. He has to make everything better, in any way possible.

"Everyone would have called you a fool for being with me," she warns him.

"We'd prove them all wrong," he's a romantic. "We'd make it. We can still make it."

He wants to make it with her. Honestly, if she was not such a realistic person, she might start dreaming of proposals and rings right about now. She is still almost dreaming about this, but at least she is placing it a few years into the future in her mind. She can see herself having a real future with him, and that is enough for now.

"Are you really that serious about this," the mere idea of that is a happy thought.

"Of course I am," he says it with so much conviction.

This means that he can see a future with her too.

"I am too," her conviction is not as loud, but just as strong as his.

Their hands intertwine as they drive on down the road back home. Together they can keep it together no matter what the world throws at them.

Chicago is getting ever closer.

AN: The next chapter is happier – and fun, I promise. You're going to love it. It'll probably be up on Friday, depending on how good my Internet is over the coming week.

Also, for those of you who don't know. I wrote a silly one-shot called Doctor's Orders. I hope people like it. Find it at my profile page.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: I'm not Victor Hugo. Surprise!

AN: From sunny Tenerife, while I'm on vacation, here's your next chapter! Hopefully it's everything you hoped it would be.

Chapter thirteen: in which the road to normal life starts

His apartment is gorgeous, decorated in warm colors and dark wood tones. It shows his classical taste – and somehow it makes her feel extremely welcome and almost at home in this new and foreign place. It is just like him – strange but comforting, classical and warm, serious and kind. She does not know what else she could have expected.

"If I ask to stay here you'll say yes," she muses. "Am I right?"

Sadly enough, she is really close to asking him if she can just stay in his apartment forever, so she can wake up next to him every morning and share a bed with him every night. She wants to think of a list of things that she can do in bed with him, and she wants to take a lost weekend to christen every single room in the place – twice. She has grown so used to his presence right beside her over the course of these last few weeks that it is going to be extremely difficult to sleep alone – with only a roommate there.

"You can stay here as long as you like," he does make her that wonderful offer.

"I'll probably have to get back to my dorm eventually," she reluctantly admits.

The dorm is going to be so very lonely. Her roommate is a preppy girl with many friends that she has over all of the time to do each other's makeup and talk about their many dates each week. She has almost nothing in common with her, and right now she just wants to crawl into Gabe's arms and stay there until classes start up again.

"That and you'll get extremely sick of my flat mate and his girlfriend," Gabe reminds her of the awkward truth. "I hate to say it, but they are constantly all over each other."

Three weeks ago, she would not have been able to handle this. She would not have been able to even visit Gabriel's apartment for fear of seeing Marcus and Cosette together – that would break her heart. She is proud of how far she's come.

"I forgot that you and Marcus share this place," she ignores the slight sting.

Honestly, there is not much love left there, not even much of a weakness for Marcus and his smile. Gabe and his everything have taken over her heart so completely that there is no room left for romantic feelings for anyone else. She is completely okay with that, because she does not want to like or love anyone else that way.

Three weeks, it is not a long time, but it is long enough for her to fall in love.

"I didn't mean to –," Gabe notices that she now feels awkward.

"Please, that was so three weeks ago," she knows that he is way more important.

If they continue to move this fast, she cannot even predict where they will be in three weeks. Still, while this thing that they have moves fast and takes over everything, it is their thing and she loves it. She just hopes that everyone else will understand this and not just write their relationship off as a summer fling just because it got started on a road trip only three weeks ago. It is so much more than that, to both of them.

"I'm glad," Gabe is smiling at her. "At least I won't have to hear anymore of his stupid speeches about how if only I met a girl then I would understand."

Marcus has given her the same speech about falling in love many times before, because he continues to believe that falling in love is the only way a person can be whole. Gabe is not what makes her complete. She can be complete all on her own. It is just that he makes her a happier person, and she does not want to lose that. Still, she is not about to start giving speeches to tell people that being single is not worth a thing.

"Do you understand," she is understandably curious. "After all, you have met a girl."

She is curious to find out how much he has really changed since he met her. Honestly, he probably used to swear up and down that he was not going to fall in love or be in a mature relationship because he wanted to focus on his studies. He has never given himself the time or the chance to fall in love with anyone, and she is incredibly happy that he has given himself the chance to fall in love with her.

"I still have my own thoughts," he speaks triumphantly. "And I actually got to talk to you and figure out who you were before I decided you were the woman of my dreams."

The love story of Marcus and Cosette is just ridiculous in comparison to theirs. The story goes that Marcus just looked at her in the middle of a busy quad and knew that she was the love of his life. Apparently, she felt the same way, because they ended up kissing before they ever told each other their respective names.

Of course, Marcus made her track the girl down after they were interrupted. It was a low moment in her life, but she womaned up and played their messenger anyway.

"Did they really just look at each other and make out," she questions Gabe.

"That is pretty close to the truth," he shrugs. "Why don't we change the subject?"

This is one of the topics that they are still not completely comfortable discussing, and she is not completely sure why. She wonders if it is because he is still insecure about her feelings for him and Marcus – which is not something that he should be concerned about, because her feelings are all for him now and he knows that. Knowing him, he probably avoids the topic because he wants to avoid causing her pain by mentioning the broken heart that Marcus inadvertently gave her. That is just who Gabe is.

He would just never want to hurt her feelings, even though he can't avoid that.

"That is a wonderful plan, Lips," she pecks him on those wonderful lips.

She gets lost in him for a little while, because his lips are lovely and he keeps thinking of new ways to kiss her. This time he is trying this thing with her tongue that almost makes her eyes roll back – she loves his experiments.

They have to untangle themselves just to get some air, unfortunately.

"Can you imagine what would happen if you said that in front of the Amies," he asks.

"Grant would blame it on the alcohol," she rolls her eyes, "and everyone else would think that you were replaced by a new model. Sorry, you're not a robot."

It is a sensitive subject, she knows that much. Seeing him as a robot is impossible for her, and she has always noticed his passion for helping others. It is this passion that must convince people that he has incredibly strong feelings about things, maybe too strong, and that is why he tries to hide them behind an impassive mask – at least in front of most people. Also, he is training to be a lawyer, so it comes with the job.

"That is what they think of me, I know," he tries to hide the pain in his face.

"I happen to know very well that you can feel," she puts her hand on his cheek.

Of course, from his cheek it is a very easy way down to his shoulder. From his shoulder, it is an easy road down to his chest, where there is much exploration still to be done – and she is definitely feeling some things at this point. So is he.

"Is this a subtle hint to get me to feel you," he emphasizes the world 'subtle'.

"Pretty much," she waits a few more seconds before launching herself at him.

Her legs wrap around his hips like they belong there, which sometimes seems to be the truth. It is easier for him to hoist her onto the kitchen counter that way – the counter was only a few steps away from their seats at the table, and it was the perfect height for their bodies. They did not have to disconnect – they could just keep on kissing.

The kissing just keeps on getting better, and she is feeling hotter and hotter. She places his hands on the hem of her shirt and hopes that he gets the hint.

He breaks away from her and they yank her shirt off together, before she moves on to his, taking it off easily and exposing his warm skin, the skin that she simply has to touch and explore and feel. He is so sensitive to her touch – she can feel the muscles shifting and rippling underneath the skin. Her skin is tightening and heating up in response, especially because he's moving his hands over the sensitive skin of her abdomen.

She wants him so badly, and he wants her too. She can definitely tell.

"Gabe," she moans as his mouth moves to her neck and chest.

Her pants are only getting in the way, so she loosens up her own buttons and tries to kick them off without interrupting Gabe's wonderful work on her chest. She lifts her butt briefly to get the first part off, and then kicks the pants off her legs.

They drop on the floor with a soft thud that she only notices because Gabe has stopped moving and he is now staring at her with eyes so dark that she can hardly discover the color in them. She moves her hands to his zipper, and the impressive hardness there.

"I don't own any condoms," Gabriel just has to interrupt the party.

"Okay, now you're making it a little bit awkward," she takes a deep breath.

She was getting so close, and his pants are semi-unzipped. They make quite a picture, and while he is completely right to address the lack of contraception – she is so not ready to raise a kid of her own, not even if it is half his – he might have done it in a more subtle way. However, he probably does not really know that much bedroom – or kitchen – etiquette, so she cannot really blame him that much for his phrasing.

"I didn't know how else to put it," he looks boyish with his messed up hair.

"First of all," she starts, "I could get them back at my apartment if we really want to do that. That is, if you decide that you are ready for that. It's still a big deal for you."

That implies that it is not a big deal for her – and he does not like that.

"It isn't going to be a big deal for you," he asks immediately.

"Sex in itself is not a big deal for me," she shrugs. "Sex with you is the biggest deal."

She has no problems with getting into bed on the first date, and she has no three or five date rule to uphold. If she likes someone enough to have sex with him or her, she will. It has always been that simple for her – until now. It means something with Gabe.

"That's a good answer," he rewards her for it with a quick kiss.

"I could go on the pill eventually – not right now," she decides to actually get involved in the discussion, since it does concern her as well. "That shit's probably more expensive than condoms at the moment. Especially since most men can get them for free."

This is just one of the many lovely sexist things that she has noticed. Honestly, she has no money for this kind of thing – food and basic necessities are expensive enough, especially since tampons are annoying and cost way too much. She does not want to put the responsibility all on him, but she can only afford so many condoms.

"Are you serious," he legitimately seems stunned at this.

"It is just another wonderful example of gender inequality," she is frowning.

Equality is not really the topic that she wants to be discussing when she's only wearing her underwear and his pants are barely hanging on to his hips. At this point she just wants to continue undressing him – she is sure Marcus has some random condoms lying around that they can appropriate. God, she wants this man so much.

"Birth control will be my responsibility," he decides firmly, smiling a soft smile at her that kind of makes her melt. "I'll pay for it – whatever works for you."

He should not be able to make the words birth control sound sexy and romantic – but once again, Gabriel Enjolras is the exception to every kind of rule. She pulls him in for another kiss, because he is once again offering to do things for the two of them.

"You just made it romantic," she giggles. "How do you even do that?"

It is just ridiculous, but he makes it all work. Honestly, with every single thing that he says she is more tempted to dive into Marcus' room for condoms or to just say 'screw it' to the condoms and go bareback. It is not like he has any weird diseases – she is going to be coming across virgin territory. That should not turn her on this much.

"It is just one of my many amazing skills," he smirks proudly.

"I'm sure modesty is also one of them," she kisses the smirk right off his face.

Really, he is extremely modest, except for when he's teasing. He does not even notice how wonderful he is and she is never going to stop telling him that.

"Apparently, I'm also quite good at kissing," the smug look is back.

"How about we test that theory a couple more times," she wiggles her eyebrows.

"I like the sound of that," he leans in closer again.

All thoughts of telling him things go away when he kisses her again, and her hands mess up his hair yet again – it is one of her things about him, messing up his perfect hair. She moves away and plants a great, big, red and purple hickey near his collarbone, and then another one a bit higher on his neck. He is obviously with someone now, and everyone is going to see it – because she sure as hell is not going to let him cover it up.

"Ponine," he groans. "That's hot."

She giggles briefly before finally moving to pull down his pants – it is not fair that she's in her underwear and he still has pants on. They finally fall to his knees.

"Gabe, I saw your coat," she hears another voice. "I didn't know you –"

Of course the moment when she is finally getting Gabe out of his clothes Marcus P. Murphy has to show up and completely ruin the moment. Well, shit.

"I'm kind of occupied at the moment," Gabe goes for a deadpan joke.

"I can see that," Marcus is pointedly not looking at her.

She quickly grabs her pants and slips them on, because while she is not embarrassed about her body, she does not want just anyone to see most of her body. Marcus is definitely not allowed to see any bit of her body – he never would be. If it were completely and only up to her, Gabe was the only one who would be seeing this.

"You know my girlfriend, Eponine," Gabe plays up the fake introduction.

"Don't be a shit, Gabe," she rolls her eyes at him and puts on her shirt.

In the meantime, he has pulled his pants back up and zipped them. She almost wants to hide his shirt away to make him just a little uncomfortable during this conversation, since clearly he has no shame about being caught half naked on the kitchen counter with a girlfriend his roommate did not even know he had. He should be blushing like crazy right about now, and while he is slightly flushed, she really cannot attribute that to any kind of embarrassment. She thinks that it has more to do with what they were doing.

"I just wanted to call you my girlfriend and watch him lose his shit," Gabe laughs.

"Girlfriend," Marcus looks close to passing out. "What did you two do?"

Did he really not see just what they were doing just now? She really thinks that it should have been obvious to him, especially since he had probably done much worse with Cosette – something she hopes Gabe has never had to walk in on.

"When a boy and a girl like each other," she starts in an overly teasing tone, "they sometimes do this thing that's called kissing. That means they use –"

Giving Marcus a totally clinical and infantilized explanation of love and relationship is such a hilarious idea to her, but judging by the way the two guys are now looking at her, they are either too surprised – Marcus – or not that amused by it in this particular situation – Gabe. So she just quits while she is still ahead.

"Are you serious," Marcus is stumbling over his words, staring at them in awe.

"I really want to make another joke, but I won't," she replies at Gabe's look.

Her joking is probably not giving Marius the right impression, the right impression being that she is now in a serious and committed relationship. If she keeps joking about it Marcus might think that she is just toying with Gabe, and that is not an impression that she wants to give anyone – not ever. She is pretty much in love with him, and she really wants people to know and understand that. He makes her happy.

"We are both very much serious about this," Gabriel makes another promise.

They both know that, but it is still very much news to Marcus, who is still gaping like a fish on dry land. She rolls her eyes at him before catching Gabe's eye – he appears to be trying really hard not to laugh at his friend. She hides a giggle as well.

"I thought you weren't interested in dating," Marcus is still completely lost.

"I'm not interested in any of the blind dates people wanted to arrange," Gabe has to clarify. "I'm not interested in drunken hookups. I'm interested in Eponine."

That is just all kinds of romantic, so she has to give him another quick kiss.

"Nina, what is this," Marcus turns to her for an explanation.

"Don't call me that," she quickly admonishes him, not intending to be stuck with his nickname for very much longer. "Look, I'm dating your friend. We like each other very much, and we were having a really good time until you decided to be clueless."

Honestly, she is this close to just asking Marcus where he stores the condoms and then telling him to go away so they can finish what they started. There is no way that they can really recapture the mood that they had going on before Marcus decided to interrupt the proceedings – not even if Marcus decides to leave them alone and go back to Cosette to do with her what she was planning to do with Gabe. The moment is gone.

"The Amies are going to have a cow," Marcus states the obvious.

Of course they are, because they are interfering idiots – no offense meant.

She does not know Gabe's friends or comrades well enough to form any kind of honest judgment of them – but she has heard enough to think of some things. Grant Aires' alcohol abuse is known around campus, just as Marcus' wealth is a great topic of gossip around the sororities. The others are less well known, but she knows that there are several pre-laws and law students there, and some pre-meds and medical students. A political science major or two completes the group, and there are the Amies.

"Is it really even their business," she is not going to tell them more than she wants to say.

"They might feel iffy about their leader," Marcus explains it all, "the one who always told them that girls are just a distraction, is actually in some kind of relationship."

Oh, not even Marcus will believe that this relationship is real – or at least he does not believe that this relationship actually means something. It infuriates her, because why can they not fall in love like everyone else? Sure, they are both not quite the norm, but that is what makes them kind of perfect for each other.

"Just call it a relationship," is her annoyed response. "There is no "some kind" about it."

Marcus does not know enough about her to actually have valid reasons about her not being able to deal with being in a relationship, and she doubts that Gabe has let himself be understood enough for people to have legitimate reasons for him to not be in any kind of relationship. So, this all must be based on the images that they project to others, rather than on the people they actually are – and that still stings.

"You haven't been gone that long," Marcus becomes a hypocrite.

"What are you not understanding about this," Gabe wonders. "I've fallen head over heels for your friend, the one you proposed I take on this trip."

It is kind of funny that Marcus' supposedly wonderful advice to Gabe got them into all of this, when he is now the one who is in doubt about the whole thing and he is the one who is inadvertently telling them that they shouldn't be together. He's a hypocrite.

"Really, we should be thanking you for all of this," a wry grin occupies her face.

"I'm just going to grab my stuff," Marcus finally gets it. "I'm sleeping at Cosette's."

He can go and do that for all she cares, but there is no way to get the mood back where it was – because he actually brought up some concerns that she has been wondering about before. The boys at the Amies are not going to like her very much at all, because she is everything that Gabriel has been warning them against over the last few months or years. The next meeting is just not going to be pleasant in any way.

"Don't tell anyone about this, okay," she pleads with her – former? – friend.

"We want to tell them – or show them – ourselves, at the next meeting," Gabe explains.

All of a sudden, Marcus is moving fast, grabbing a bag out of his room and slinging it over his shoulder like he is absolutely dying to get away from them. She honestly cannot blame him for that, but it is kind of a shitty thing to do to first cause the pain and the damage, and then to quickly run away from the fallout.

"I won't miss that one, not for the world," Marcus is basically already gone.

"Go get some," she yells after him sarcastically.

Gabe is sputtering at that, because once again he is surprised by her crassness. She could have said a lot worse, but she is definitely not going to tell him that.

"So, I probably should just go back to my dorm," she pouts.

"I'll take you," he offers, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

Her boyfriend/lover is the best boyfriend/lover there is.

AN: That was a long one. Yes, more Amies will show up in the next chapter. If my Internet continues to work, it will be up on Sunday or Monday. Hopefully Sunday.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Still a twenty-three year old girl and not a dead writer. Don't own it.

AN: I got a lot of comments about Marcus in the last chapter. I didn't intend for him to be legitimately mean – he is confused and surprised and in his awkwardness, he does not respond well to the entire situation. He spent his entire friendship with Gabe believing that the guy does not have a deal, and then suddenly he does and it's his friend Nina – the one who supposedly had her eye on him. He is, as Tessa Netting once said, "a cute little flustered ferret".

Love you all!

Chapter fourteen: in which the Amies reconvene

"I'm going out," she tells her roommate, even though she knows the girl won't listen.

"Are you seriously dating that rebel guy," is the response she gets instead.

This is really the first topic that the girl needs to address? They have not talked in about a month, and the first thing she does ask is about her relationship with Gabe – at least, she thinks that he is the rebel guy that her roommate is talking about. She is not dating anyone but Gabe, so if the news has gone round campus – and if that is the case, someone is going to have to kick Marcus' ass before she hurts him – she hopes that they at least got the guy in question right. She knows how the gossip mill works.

"I could see him dropping you off, you know," her roommate continues.

"You probably saw us making out too," she rolls her eyes, checking one final time if she has all of her stuff with her. "Yes, I am dating Gabe. Is that so weird?"

She is not going to care about whatever response she gets to this, but she still thinks that it is odd that this girl is all of a sudden interested in her life. Of course, maybe now that she has a boyfriend/lover – she still has not figured out the best term to describe him by – she can finally be a part of her ridiculous overly girly society. Thanks, but no thanks.

"Yes," is the only response that she gets to her question.

"Deal with it," she tells her roommate as she rushes out the door. "Laterz!"

As she looks around for Gabe – he promises that he was coming to pick her up before the meeting – she notices that the campus is not as deserted as she thought it would be. It makes a little harder to spot her boyfriend, who is beckoning for her to come over.

"There you are," she grins at him, grabbing his hand.

"Are you ready to cause the Apocalypse," he teases as they start to walk towards the café in which the Amies always meet. "I have a feeling that this could get weird."

He is probably completely right about that part, so she cannot contradict a single thing about that statement. The Apocalypse is an exaggeration of course, but with his friends, one is never quite sure what is going to happen. She once came across the group of them, when they were all wearing early nineteenth century French garb and carrying different kinds of furniture. It was all for a protest, but somehow she knows that there is more crazy behind that than she would want to know about. He has strange friends.

"Is Grant going to be okay about this," she questions him, remembering the protest.

"I think so," he shrugs, as if the idea simply had not occurred to him. "We did talk about his – feelings after the protest, and he understood that I'm not interested in him or any other man. I gave him time and distance, so I hope that helped."

After all they have done – and all means almost everything but the big It – he is still so awkward about feelings and relationship that it almost makes her laugh. She kind of understands, though, because he is extremely uncomfortable around people who appear to be interested in him. This is especially the case if the feelings are not reciprocated – which is definitely the case with Grant. That just makes for an awkward situation.

"I'll talk to him if it gets too weird," she promises as they reach the café.

"Are you ready to go in there," he looks to be the scared one this time around.

She opens the door in lieu of giving him an answer, and the rowdy noises that meet her ears as soon as she does make her annoyed that she forgot to bring earplugs. However, the magic of Gabriel Enjolras soon does its best work, because the entire group quiets down the second he walks in behind her. They are also very much staring at her, which is not very much of a relief. It actually makes her feel very ill at ease.

"Why'd you bring the Shadow," some random guy asks her boyfriend.

"Eponine is not my shadow," Marcus sounds out from the corner of the room.

Do these guys actually think that she just follows Marcus around all day? She did not even do that back when she still thought herself in love with him – and she certainly is not doing that now that she is with Gabe. These guys do not know her at all, and that might ruin the conversation she and Gabe will be having with them.

"Eponine is actually my girlfriend," Gabe goes for it immediately.

The entire café goes completely silent. Jaws drop and eyes attempt to fall out of skulls, and nobody makes a single move or a single sound. She feels awkward in the midst of the mess, still holding Gabe's hand and trying not to make a sound.

"Looks they have no comment, Sexy," Gabe riles them all up even more.

"Shut it, Lips," she snaps right back with his nickname.

This of course just makes the situation worse: everyone is seeing their easy familiarity with one another, and they are either surprised and/or disgusted by it, or they are making all kinds of assumptions about their relationship. She can tell all of these things just by looking at the expressions on their faces and their body language. She is the daughter of the Thenardiers, after all – she can read a potential mark like no other, even though she does not consider random people to be her marks.

"Is Gabriel Enjolras actually getting some," Grant Aires has to break the silence.

"That is usually what being in a relationship means," she has to snipe at him.

Honestly, if these pubescent idiots are really the only intelligent political agency on campus, then everyone is completely screwed. They appear to be more occupied with their leader's personal life than with any issues of importance. She is not just going to let that happen, especially now that she is suddenly an important figure in their movement – their plans have always concerned her, but now she has a voice here too.

"I like you," Grant tells her in reply. "We should celebrate this glorious moment!"

Knowing Grant as she does – only by the stories that she has heard other people tell – she has the feeling that the beer bottle he is currently clinging to is not his first of the night; it is probably not even his first of the hour. He will soon be too far gone to have an intelligent conversation with, and while she can definitely understand wanting to drown one's sorrows in liquor, she cannot let this continue.

"I'd like you a whole lot more if you didn't drink so much," she shoots back, snagging the half-empty bottle of beer from his hand, and gulping it down quickly. "That definitely hits the spot. Now can we go on to some actual business here?"

The applause starts with Marcus, and slowly continues to many of the other Amies – and suddenly she has no idea what to do next. She quickly curtseys, like she is some kind of nineteenth century mademoiselle and then eyes the instigator – dear, dear Marcus – long enough to get him to quit the clapping. The evil eye tends to work on men.

"Ponine, if I hadn't been in love with you already," Gabe plants a kiss on her lips, making her smile, "I would have fallen in love with you just for doing that."

They are both acting much more theatrical than they are naturally, just because this crowd both appreciates and demands the drama. Honestly, what she did is not something all that revolutionary, but she is being treated as if it was a miracle.

"Now back to business," Gabe calls everyone to attention.

Before she knows it, the men have quieted down and are listening to Gabe with no regard for anything else that might be going on. She knows that Gabe is excellent at making speeches, and she is just now witnessing the effect of that on the common population for the first time – it is more dramatic than she expected. If this were a time of real revolution, these men would definitely follow her lover into battle.

"Can we talk," Grant is addressing her, to her great surprise.

"Are you still sober enough to do that," she rolls her eyes just a little.

He is still standing, so she guesses that it has not gone that far yet. His words are only slurred a little bit, so it is theoretically possible for the two of them to have a real conversation. Only she is pretty worried about the outcome for him – he is probably predisposed to hate her because Gabe is in love with her instead of him.

"I'm as sober as I'm going to get today," Grant shows a wit she appreciates.

"You have a point there," she smiles at him, following him outside. "So, what is it?"

The streets surrounding the café have emptied, so there should not be anyone around who can overhear their conversation. Still, she takes a good look at her surroundings, to make sure that she has an exit strategy for every possible turn that the conversation can possibly take. There are a few alleys and streets that she can run into, and the bar across the street is filled with enough drunken idiots that she will be able to hide in a group of them without really being noticed. There are ways to get out.

Still, she would rather go back inside and listen to Gabe's big speech.

"If you take advantage of Gabriel, you'll burn in the special hell," his voice is dark.

She almost laughs, because there is a reference in her head and she is already picturing Grant as a space cowboy – only this is not the right time to start laughing.

"Isn't it usually the other way around," she tries to lighten the mood.

Should there not be an entire group grilling Gabe about his intentions? At least, that is how this thing always works in the movies, which is pretty much the closest she has ever come to seeing a stable and healthy romantic relationship. She thinks the whole idea ridiculous, because she is much more street-smart than Gabe, and she is statistically much more likely to shatter his heart than he hers. They should know that.

"He'll get the same speech from Marcus, no doubt," Grant appears to be sure of this.

"Oh, I doubt it," she scoffs, knowing Gabe enough to know he won't hear of it.

Also, Marcus has to know her well enough to be able to tell that she can take care of herself and she does not need any kind of antiquated male protection against the man that she loves. Gabe would sooner hurt himself than hurt her.

"Also, are you not way out of his league," Gabe's friend asks a surprising question.

"Once again, it's the other way around," she replies easily.

Grant obviously does not know her well enough to be able to tell that her emotional scars are only held together by leftover courage and stubbornness. Gabe has been wonderful about helping her move on and heal, and she still does not understand what she has meant to him. Grant cannot see that, though.

"Look, I know that he can be a stick in the mud," he is careful with his words.

"I know," she smiles happily. "You don't have to tell me that. I also know that there's so much more to him than that. I spent three weeks with him, almost 24/7."

Gabe's tendency to be withdrawn and too serious; it drove her nuts in the beginning, but she quickly grew to not to appreciate, but to understand it. Also, while the men of the Amies seem to think that his serious character is all that there is to Gabe, she has seen more of him – not just literally but figuratively as well. She is sure that the Amies would not want to know too many details of how much she has seen of Gabe.

Now she is just trying not to drool in front of his friend.

"Marcus wondered if you'd killed each other," he grins an adorable grin.

"We chose the other option: kissing," she flinches as she makes that stupid joke.

The general joke is to either kiss or kill, but to make that joke in front of the other person who is in love with her lover – that is just bad taste. Sometimes her mouth does run away with her before she gets the chance to think about things.

"I probably don't want to know about that," Grant definitely has a point there.

"I'm sorry," she knows she needs to apologize. "You're a good person, Grant."

It is a terribly cliché thing to say, but she also knows that this needs to be said, and that Grant Aires needs to hear things like that a bit more. This guy has potential, that much is obvious to her and her eagle eyes, but he refuses to acknowledge it. Of course, the feelings for Gabe make him a bit of a mess. She can definitely understand that.

"Don't give me that talk," Grant has turned more hostile.

"Look, it's either going to be me or Gabe giving you this talk," she lays out the options for him, making sure that he understands them both, "and I think that you would prefer it if I did it. He's an awkward sort of shit when it comes to this."

That makes Grant laugh, with a deep sort of belly laugh that she knows has not been heard very often over the last few months – not in any genuine way, anyway. He has hidden his feelings in alcohol and the bottom of a bottle for far too long, and Gabe is too much of an awkward guy for him to make it better at this point. She'll tell him later, that all he needs to do is act normally, that he just needs to be Grant's friend. It is much too simple a solution for him to have thought of. She kind of loves that about him too.

"And don't I know it," Grant waves his arms dramatically.

"He appreciates you very much," she attempts to explain. "He's just awkward around people who like him, and unless he somehow figures out that you two are still going to be friends without me getting it into his thick skull, it's going to be weird for a while."

Another quick laugh, and she is smiling too because it is just that kind of sound that makes you want to laugh along. If Grant just lets himself actually be who he is, he is this charismatic way with an enthusiasm that is so infectious that it will only help their group to be more popular. Gabe could use a right hand man like Grant.

"I never thought he'd end up with someone like you," he eyes her up carefully.

"Yeah, it surprised me too," she has nothing else to say to that.

Really, how can she try to explain something that surprised her too? Then again, she also knows Gabe well enough to say that he is never going to go for the typical, in any aspect of his life. She does not have to tell Grant this, because she is sure that he knows that as well – he just hoped that the non-typical person Gabe ended up with would be him.

"Want to have a drink, on me," an offer of peace is made.

"Nah," she shrugs. "I want to stay sober enough to help you guys. You need it."

If they do want to organize another protest when classes start – something she assumes to be true, seeing as everyone is back weeks before they have to be – they are going to need to be organized and peaceful. She is going to help them, because a scholarship is only worth so much if she is using it as a shield against her real opinions. She deserves better, and she is going to claim that, with the help of the Amies.

"That hurts," Grant puts a hand over his heart, eyes twinkling merrily.

Oh, she could definitely grow to like this guy – she wants to call him a friend because she knows that they can liven up these meetings and make it better at the same time.

"Have a soda, on me," she offers, motioning at the café door.

There is not much noise coming from inside the café; only Gabe's voice is sounding out, preaching of inequality and protests. He just keeps getting interrupted by comments about her and how he managed to snag a hot girlfriend. She can hear the frustration in his voice, and she knows that she might have to jump in to rescue the guys from the righteous fury of Gabriel Enjolras on a crusade against injustice.

Grant could join her, because he is probably much better at diffusing this particular kind of situation – he has probably had to do this many times before.

"Why," he seems stunned because she offered some kind of friendship.

"Because you have good ideas," she tells him, "and you guys need those."

He will see that soon, or she will have to make him and everyone else see it. Honestly, Gabe is going to have to give over control at some things – she could always make him practice first in the bedroom. No, she really needs to focus right now.

"Are you trying for sainthood," his wry tone of voice makes her smile.

"Nope," she shrugs. "I'm just trying to be good enough for Gabe. And I kind of like you."

Grant seems to appreciate her honesty here, as he moves closer to the door, as if he is going to hold it open for her like a proper gentleman – another mystery about the curious creature that is Grant Aires. When he indeed holds open the door, she grins at him so widely that he has to be won over by it. She does kind of like him.

"I'll take a coke," Grant does give in to her request.

"You're a peach, Grant," she heads towards the bar, shooting a smile at Gabe. "Come on, let's make Gabe freak out when he realizes we agree with each other."

This is the start of a beautiful friendship.

AN: I'm taking E/E prompts. If you have a great idea, leave it in comments/reviews and I'll see if I can make something out of it.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Victor Hugo is not the one partying on Tenerife. I'm not the one who wrote Les Mis.

AN: After this, only one more chapter and an epilogue.

Chapter fifteen: in which life catches up with Lips and Sexy

The fifteenth time someone stops to stare at her she is fed up with it. She has been taking this bullshit since people started coming back for the new semester, and she is so completely done with it. The pointing and laughing is bad enough, but it is the staring that actually unnerves her most. She can feel the gazes, and it freaks her out.

"What do you want from me," she demands of the unlucky guy.

"I didn't say anything," he responds, basically terrified of her awesomeness.

Yeah, she gets this response often when she is pissed. Gabe is probably the only one who isn't completely terrified of what she affectionately calls her Death Glare™. Her boyfriend just responds with an overly sassy roll of his eyes or a disarming grin, the one that is basically the best weapon in his arsenal. She kills them with anger, and he kills them with charm. She'd ask him for help if she wasn't too proud for that.

"Either stop staring or tell me what's going on," she threatens him with a glare.

"I just know what I've heard," he starts to stammer and she rolls her eyes.

That means he doesn't know a single fucking thing, but it also means that he is still a valuable source of information about the gossip mill on campus. The rumors must have really gone crazy for people to stare at her this much.

"Tell me what you know," she uses her creepy assassin voice on him.

"Just don't kill me," he is yammering. "I just heard that that guy from the Amies paid you to have sex with him. Everyone's talking about it."

Of course this bullshit is all about her and Gabe, because all of the stupid people who live on campus cannot seem to understand that two people from two seemingly completely different worlds can connect in any kind of meaningful way. She would love to give them a complete lecture about this, but she also knows that there is no point to that, since nobody would listen to what she actually has to say on the topic.

Her target is currently running away from her – the wuss.

"He's my boyfriend," she screams after his cowering figure.

Nobody is going to care about the facts when the gossip is just so much more interesting than the truth – at least to them. Setting them straight is not going to help one bit; she knows that much, but the screaming and threatening makes her feel better.

"Gabe is going to get so angry," she realizes.

She can already imagine the big speech that he is going to want to give to the entire campus, about not trivializing women and understanding that women are worth more than just sex. If she tells him, there will no doubt be a five-page speech written by the end of the day, and it still will not make a difference. The story is sexist, wrong, and it makes her incredibly uncomfortable to actually be thought of as some kind of prostitute, but her feelings just are not going to matter to anyone but Gabe and the Amies.

Well, at least she is not really that kind of girl anymore.

Her phone goes off in the middle of her mental tirade, and she is sure that the people in the neighborhood are staring at her even more than before. It won't help.

"What do you want," she snipes at the unknown caller.

"Hello to you too, my darling daughter," she is actually hearing her mother's voice.

Well, color her surprised, because her mother has not been in touch with her since her siblings got adopted – not that she ever gave a damn about that, since she was too angry with them to consider talking to them. And here Mother is, calling her darling and making phone calls like she is still the favorite daughter, when everyone can tell that Zelda is the favorite – the one who is most like her parents.

"What do you want," she repeats, not wanting to bother with pleasantries.

It is silent for a while on the other side, and she knows that her mother is either discussing this conversation with someone – it cannot be her father because they have been placed in separate prisons – or forming a complicated battle plan. It is probably the latter, because her mother always has a battle plan for everything.

"I've spoken to your sister," the plan is beginning to form.

"So did I," she is not giving her mother anything to work with.

Zelda is probably stirring up trouble for her again. She cannot blame her sister for being a little angry with her after the zoo fiasco, but getting their mother involved in this thing just reeks of trouble and illegal actions in the future. Either Zelda is getting involved in some seriously bad things and her mother wants her to help her sister out, or Zelda has told her mother about their conversation and mother just wants her to be the good little Thenardier and go find herself a mark. Either way, things really suck.

"She told me that you found a mark," her mother is so obvious.

"You believe that if you want to," she rolls her eyes. "I'm in love. He loves me. We love each other. We're doing it and he's not giving me any money."

That should be all that her mother wants to know, and she'll be done with the whole thing before Gabe shows up – like he tends to do lately. While she totally loves the guy, having him meet her parents – even over the phone – is more like a when pigs fly situation than any kind of real possibility. She doubts that he really wants her to associate with his parents, but that is still more likely than him meeting hers.

"Why would he not give you money," that is the only thing Mother heard.

"Jesus, Mother," she wants to throw her hands up in anger. "Did you not hear me see that I am in an actual relationship? We love each other. That means that no money needs to be changing hands. There is this thing called love instead. It's worth way more."

Explaining the concept of a loving relationship to her mother is a waste of time, but she has to at least give it a shot. Her parents were always more partners in crime than partners in any kind of other significant way – when it was obvious that the deal was up, they turned on each other so quickly that it still makes her head spin. That is the only example of real love that she has ever seen – yeah, no wonder she's screwed.

"Where did I go wrong in raising you," her mother cries out.

"You did not do any raising," she bites back. "I damn well raised myself, and Zelda and Gav too. You did not do a damn thing for us. Go to hell!"

She hangs up, and she wishes she could do it more dramatically, because this simply does not feel enough like real closure. Of course her parents would only call her up for questions about potential marks, rather than to enquire after her wellbeing.

Why is she still such a child about this?

There is a person standing behind her and judging by the itch on the back of her neck, the person is most definitely staring at her. She has no patience for this.

"What," she does not even turn around.

"Is that how you greet your lover nowadays," Gabe is hugging her from behind.

Thank God it is Gabe, because anyone else would probably have gotten punched.

"My mother just called," she explains, relaxing in his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he doesn't even have to say anything else. "Do you want to go home?"

She turns to face him, and he has that soft smile on his face that always makes her want to kiss him and/or tear his clothes off. It is quite easy to stand on her tiptoes and plant a quick kiss on his lips – first part of her response.

"Only if home means your place," she is quite frank about the second part.

"Marcus is with Cosette again," he tells her, seemingly getting what she wants. "And I went to the store. We are actually prepared this time around."

He is not really trying to be subtle, and she likes that. She misses the blush a little, but his confidence is a big turn-on, so that helps. They are already in an embrace, so it is easy to keep hold of his arm as they both decide to move towards his apartment – she is also mentally cataloguing all of the pieces of clothing that she is wearing, and if she did remember to shave this morning, which she did. She is ready for this.

"I love you, Gabe," she tells him as they reach the front door.

"Love you too," he responds without hesitation, unlocking the door.

It's nice that they've now both said it, because the first time saying I love you in a relationship can apparently get awkward – not that she would know. She's read about it and heard her roommate's friends yammer about always getting the guy to say it first because saying it first meant that you were too vulnerable – but if she did not say it first, Gabe would be too scared to say it. And they do not need to make a big deal out of saying something that they both already know – they are people of action rather than words, at least in this. Gabe knows a lot of beautiful words.

When they enter Gabe's room, she is this close to giving a crass summary of what will happen in bed, but she knows that that will only make things that much more awkward for Gabe, and that's the last thing she wants. They'll figure it out together.

"I'm sorry if I'm terrible," Gabe helps her take her jacket off.

"I don't think you can be terrible at anything," she kicks her shoes off.

Her bare feet are only on the carpet for so long, as she quickly jumps on top of his nice big bed. She watches as he takes his shoes and socks off, turning his back to her as he carefully folds his jacket and hangs it over an empty chair near the desk.

"I've surprised you before," he does not sound very happy.

"We don't have to do this right now," she smiles at him, filled with love.

The look on his face when he turns around is mostly terrified, and she knows that he just really wants to impress her and he is scared that he will fail. She doubts that he can fail, because she's never made love to anyone before. Sure, she's had sex multiple times, and she has usually liked it, but it is different with feelings on the line.

"Will you just kiss me," she pleads, sticking out her lower lip for good measure.

He is never going to be able to resist that look, and he probably knows that already, because with a resigned air, he sits down on the bed and plants a quick kiss on her lips – only she is not just going to let him go that easily. They will make it work.

"Gabriel," she pleads, and once again pulls him to her.

With her rather pitiful muscle mass, she is not going to be able to pull him on top of her, so she climbs into his lap again, something she has grown to like. He rather appreciates it as well, judging by the growing bulge that she can feel. She grins against the skin of his neck, before making a trail with her lips, from his neck to his jaw to his mouth.

She kisses him with all that she has, trying to convince him that she will love him no matter what he decides and no matter how he performs at this point. Who knows, maybe she is going to be the one who screws it all up. He is kissing her back, still, so that is a good sign. He is getting it, and he is even showing some initiative again, surprising her when he moves his hand from its position next to him to the small of her back, moving her shirt up inch by inch. She has to let go of him to breathe.

"Hey," he tells her, a smile on his face again.

Her shirt is easily yanked over her own head, and she lets him work on his own – their mouths find each other immediately after these pieces of clothing are gone. She has been waiting for him to be ready, and she just wants him so much.

"Can I," he has his hands on her zipper.

"Please," she smiles, letting him take her pants off while she works on his.

They are still kissing while they fiddle with each other's pants, until they have to let go because their respective positions have become too awkward to continue. She climbs out of her pants as he takes off his – and she beckons for him to come and join her on the bed. It is easy to tease him by fiddling with her bra straps – and she has already found the box of condoms on the nightstand. She wants this to happen so badly.

"Gabe," she calls his name out as a part of her siren song.

"Ponine," his voice is in that deep state that makes a shiver go down her spine.

He wins. Honestly, when it comes to seductive voices, he has hit the mother load – and she is a very lucky girl. He crawls over to her – where did he learn the panther moves – and moves to unclasp her bra, getting it on the first try.

"Nice moves," she shrugs off her bra with a grin.

It distracts him for a bit – she can definitely notice that his eyes are not on her face any longer. It makes her smile, and then he distracts her just as much as she just distracted him – she is moaning before she really realizes just what he is doing. But once again, he is extremely good at what he is doing. Her body is tight and warm and she is getting ever closer to that pinnacle. His hands and his lips are wonderful.

"Take your pants off," she tells him.

He obliges, like a good boy. She does the same with her own panties, tossing them onto the floor with abandon. She loves him, and he loves her.

If Marcus interrupts this, she is going to ruin his life.

AN: Damn skippy I faded to black. Imagine whatever you want =P… All I'm saying is that nobody interrupted…


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: I'm not Victor Hugo.

AN: Yes, this is the last chapter. There will be an epilogue set over fifteen years in the future. Yes, I'm pulling a Rowling.

Chapter sixteen: in which things are back to what passes for normal

The protest song, written by the secret poets John Prouvaire and Grant Aires, was quite a nice touch. It is simple enough for all of the Amies to learn it rather quickly, and the advantage of singing it in a big group is that it sounds rather good even though there are no amazing singers in the group. The group as a whole sounds strong enough.

She has helped them practice the song, drilling them on the lyrics until they could recite them in their sleep – Grant was very happy with her army sergeant ways.

"I don't want to know where else you use those powers," he tells her.

"I don't want you to tell him," Gabe interjects quickly, with a grin on his face.

She might have used those powers a few times in the nights since they had their first time. They actually take turns on top – not that that is anyone's business but theirs, so Grant is never going to find out about that. Not that anyone is going to find out about that – unless Cosette is stupid enough to blab about the awkward moment she started when she walked into the obviously occupied bedroom after hearing noises.

"This is not the time anyway," she shrugs carelessly.

"It is time to make a difference," Gabriel looks to be ready to make another speech.

The time for the protest has finally come, and this is not the time to be making awkward comments about their sex life when they could be helping people. They are here to make a difference for many people on campus, and they want people to hear them and to notice them. This could make a world of difference for people like her.

"It always is with you," Grant is rolling his eyes at his friend.

"This time it's for all of us," she understands Gabe. "We can make a difference."

Normally she would definitely encourage Grant's silly jokes and his slight mocking of her lover, but this time – at her first real protest – she wants everyone to be serious and completely focused, to make sure that things go just as they planned.

"And I have no ill-timed confessions this time," Grant is a funny idiot.

If he tried to confess his love for Gabe again, she would either just laugh her ass off at anyone who was surprised at it, or she would attempt to kiss his ass for doing this to Gabe again, because it has been discussed and it just will not happen. The reminder of it is funny, and he can fake another confession anytime he wants to do so, but it is not going to involve Gabe or her. She knows that he would not even dare.

"I was looking forward to that," Gabe uses the deadpan tone that she loves.

"I could always whip something up on the fly," Grant tries to go along with it.

The look on Gabriel's face makes it very obvious that he will not let it happen – and she knows that the previous protest and its terrible aftermath still weighs on him. She appreciates Grant trying to take his mind off of the violence and the sadness associated with the previous protest, but she knows that he just needs a new successful experience to start to forget about the last one. He needs this protest to work out.

"Just go prepare everyone else," she orders him around.

"Yes mistress," he replies, leaving both Gabe and she to give him a death glare.

Hopefully no one else heard him say that stupid thing, because she would not care to have any more rumors spread about her and her sex life. If anyone hears this and believes it – like the idiots on campus are always known to do – she is going to get in trouble with the university. This would be bad for the university's reputation, and her scholarship would be ruined. But then again, her scholarship might already be ruined just by her association with this student protest. It's a risk she is willing to take.

"Don't feed the gossip mill," Gabe asks of his friend, and Grant nods.

"I'll make out with him later," she points to her lover, making Grant laugh. "That'll give them enough stuff to talk about for the rest of the year. Morons."

Gabe shakes his head mournfully, as Grant goes to gather the troops. It is all supposed to start out as a flash mob situation, and when they have captured people's attention, they will state their opinions about the current situation on campus. It will work, and it will not turn violent – because she will not let it, and the guys have been too scared of her to defy her or Gabe's orders. Also, they want this protest to go better than the last one.

She stares out at the quad, easily noticing the Amies, dressed as they are in the colors of the American flag – John Prouvaire was the one who figured that theme would be so important. She does not particularly care about the theme – she just wants to be comfortable in what she is supposed to wear – but it does make it easier to recognize who is part of their group and who is not. Also, the little decorative pin Felly designed is a nice touch. She is proud of her men, of their men.

"We're almost ready," Gabe is standing right besides her, holding her close.

Her eyes are focused, trying to find Grant at his position on the opposite side of the quad – with John right next to him. The four of them will start this, together.

"One, two, three, four," she mouths in sync with Grant.

"Do you hear the people sing," they start, all in unison. "Singing the song of angry men. It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again."

It works very well, having the four of them move from opposite sides of the quad to all four of them standing together in the center, singing as a quartet. She is the only woman now, but she knows that Marcus has convinced his Cosette to participate as well – since the other girl has made some attempts to be nice to them after catching her and Gabe naked that one day. Cosette is in the second group, with Marcus and two guys she can never remember the names off. She cannot learn over twenty names so fast.

"When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums," more of the group now joins in with the singing. "There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes."

Melody and her boyfriend Joe Leigh are holding hands as they join them in the middle of the quad, and they have already drawn quite the audience with their little stunt – some people are holding up cameras in hopes of capturing the performance. She hopes that the videos will make it onto the school website – with their message obvious.

"Will you join in our crusade," almost everyone is now singing this song. "Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see? Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free!"

The banners have now gone up, and some of the men have turned old coats and shirts into flags that they can wave around to draw more attention to them. She knows that most of the freshmen arriving for orientation are staring at them with wide eyes, not knowing what they have gotten themselves into. They deserve to know, in her opinion, so she is standing even higher and taller and prouder now.

"Do you hear the people sing," the group is complete, "singing the song of angry men. It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again. When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes."

John Prouvaire had also written a more dramatic second verse, but she convinced him to eliminate it, because it talked of living or falling and blood of the martyrs – basically, the verse freaked everyone out so badly that a few men almost walked away. Also, he did not know what else to rhyme with, so it randomly talked of France.

Really, it was better for everyone if that verse never saw the light of day.

"Students, parents, employees," her wonderful boyfriend climbs up on a conveniently placed bench to start another epic speech. "Welcome in the new year at this wonderful university. We have a few things that we would like to address for this year."

She looks around, seeing that Gabriel has the undivided attention of everyone near enough to understand what they are saying. A hush has come over the quad, and people are focused on Gabriel and his words – just as they should be, because he knows all of the important things that need to be said. People need to listen.

"There are several things going on here that most people don't even know about," he tells, leaving the audience spellbound. "There are inequalities at this fine school that need to be exposed. We, the Amies, want to expose these things to you all, because we think that you deserve to know. Unlike the board, that is still actively trying to hide the ugly underbelly of this university. We are going to give you the facts!"

They have no Powerpoint presentation; there is no nice graph that they can show in a situation like this. But there are so many terrible facts that need to be exposed, and she is helping the Amies do that. That is a good feeling to have.

"Scholarship students have to pay for their own books and food," Gabe continues, quickly shooting her an apologetic look. "They are expected to maintain a perfect GPA when they have to work at least twenty hours a week so that they can afford the occasional piece of clothing or a beer at the campus bars. Very few students actually manage to complete their education on scholarship at this university."

He is saying it for her, because people have never thought of her as credible – and she does not want this to work against what they are trying to accomplish.

"What is even more horrific is the level of inequality here," Grant joins Gabriel on the bench, just as they had planned. "Since I have come out as bisexual, I have been abused and mistreated by many of my classmates and even some of my teachers."

It only comes a bit as a shock to her. Grant does not tell her anything about that kind of thing – she knows that she has yet to earn his trust. She has not told him her last name, so she really cannot blame him. Maybe someday soon, she will actually be able to tell all of the Amies who she really is and what family she was born into. It will not be because she owes them anything, but because she trusts them with the information.

"Rape figures are higher than at any other college in the state," Cosette is sensitive about this subject, after what happened with her mother before her death. "There is no survivors support group, and the university does not act against these issues – the campus police has done nothing to catch the perpetrators."

This topic has never hit quite so close to home for her as it has for Cosette. When Fanny, a young single mother, was kicked out of her employment – at the Thenardier hotel – with a young child to feed, she was forced to live on the streets for a while. Bad things happen on the streets, she knows that very well, and she still regrets what her parents have done to many innocent people like Fanny and Cosette.

She refuses to feel responsible. She is not her parents, and even Cosette knows that, because she has never looked down on her – the other girl recognized her the minute they saw each other again as adults. They both respect each other now.

"Things need to change around here," Gabriel picks up where he left off. "These are only a few examples of the many wrongs on this campus. Nothing will change unless you all stand with us and show the administration that we will not accept it any longer. If we all stick together, we can make a difference. We can make our school a better place."

The people are eating up every word, and she is proud and happy.

"Do you hear the people sing," she starts again.

"Singing the song of angry men," the Amies join her, and some other voices join in. "It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again. When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums. There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!"

Students and parents alike are gathering around them, as a group, as a team. Finally everyone is on the same side, and they can make something happen. They can make a change! They can make this campus a better and safer place!

"I love you," she tells Gabe, kissing him briefly.

"I love you too," he grins, letting her fall into a dip and lifting her back up.

She laughs loudly, happily, and even though she can see Grant making vomiting gestures behind Gabe's back, she does not let that sour her mood. This is going to work!

Gavin is going to love hearing about this! Who knows, maybe she can even find a recording of it for him to see – he is going to be an honorary Amie.

It is ridiculous how much her life has changed in a summer, just because she said yes when an almost stranger asked her to run away with him.

Now she's in love with him, and he with her.

AN: This is it, people. This is all you're getting from the story. They managed to build a life together from this road trip, which is what the song is about.

I want to thank each and every person who took the time to read even the slightest part of this story, and I especially want to thank everyone who reviewed or favorited this story. You are all wonderful!

If you want to stay updated on my future Enjonine ideas and stories, you can follow me on Tumblr (textsfromumbridge) or you can follow me on Twitter ( dutchmoxie). I'd love to get to know every single one of you!

Epilogue will be up this weekend.


	18. Epilogue

Run Away With Me

Disclaimer: Even for this last bit, I will have to say that it's not mine.

AN: This is the final bit that you will get of Run Away With Me. It's an epilogue and a small bonus feature that will make sense when you get there, I hope.

Epilogue:

It is during his campaign for the presidency that the video surfaces again.

_Candid video of presidential candidate discovered. In the video, Senator Enjolras is seen organizing a student protest with the daughter of the notorious Thenardiérs. Could this ruin his possible future as the youngest president of our country?_

Of course her past is dragged into it, because her name is still an embarrassment, even after she has worked so hard and accomplished so much since college. She is a grown woman with her own career – and a few children of her own, who have actually turned out more like her brother than like her sister. They mostly turned out like her husband, with some of the most annoying things in him being adorable in their kids.

_College love affair with criminal's daughter? The indiscretions of a man who should not become our next president. Video evidence under the cut. _

Her first name is never mentioned, because it does not matter.

She is just fooling herself if she thinks that her first name ever really mattered – even though it mattered to him that crazy summer. What was she thinking?

"I don't know how they found out," he apologizes to her when he finally calls.

"It doesn't matter," she shrugs, even though he cannot see it. "The mistake was made years ago, and you can't change your past."

There is a list of things that she would have changed a long time ago if it were even remotely possible – but nothing involving him ever made that list. He should know that much, but he still forgets that, even though she has told him so many times.

She always has to tell him just one more time.

"Would you want to change it," he asks her, that gentle lilt in his voice.

"I wouldn't change it for the world," she vows, trying not to break down. "You were the first guy I ever loved. Maybe you were the only guy that I've ever loved. Jesus, Gabe."

He has so many different names now, to so many different people – but he will never be anyone but just Gabe to her. He is "Senator" to an entire state of people, and "Mr. Enjolras" to even more others – his first name rarely enters into the picture, even though she has always thought it to be so appropriate – the terrible angel. He is "Daddy" to his kids, if he ever sees them, because he is just so very busy all of the time.

"Were," he asks, a break in his voice.

"Gabe, I am always going to love you," she admits. "The kids are so much like you it's making me sick sometimes, and you're not here a lot, but I love you, okay. If you want me to campaign, if you want me to tell my story, I will do it. I would do anything."

She has been married to the guy for close to fifteen years, and she is willing to air out any bit of dirty laundry that she has if it helps him clear this up. It is time to let the entire country fall as much in love with him as she has – something that is going to be so easy once they see the real him behind the solemn politician.

"I'm on my way home right now," he tells her, and she fights tears again.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," she grins through the tears.

It has been quite a few weeks since she has seen him last, and she just knows that he has not been taking care of himself as well as she can – just like she just knows that she has lost several pounds worrying herself sick over him. They do so much better when they are actually together – and she cannot wait for the world to finally see that, in her first public appearances as the wife of the presidential candidate.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he sounds hurried, but happy.

"I'll be waiting," she vows, taking a deep breath. "I love you. See you soon!"

Hanging up on him never gets any easier, but at least this time she has the comfort of knowing that she will actually see him within the hour. The kids are still awake, but almost ready for bed. It would kill him if he couldn't see them before they fell asleep, so she has to keep them awake for a few more difficult minutes.

"Daddy's coming home," she smiles, quickly wiping her tears away.

Both her little boy and her girls sound so excited about that, and they immediately start shouting and jumping up and down, not even noticing that she has been crying.

Or so she thinks.

"Aren't you happy," her eldest girl asks her.

"I just missed your father a lot," she tries to explain. "People have been saying some awful things on the news, and your father and I are going to fix it."

The explanation is a little too simple, but she wants to make sure that all of her brilliant kids can understand it. Sure, Penelope – "Mom, just call me Penny" – is already twelve who years old, but Samuel – her Sammy – is not even ten yet and little Lizzie is only seven years old. They need to be able to understand what is going on.

"Is he still going to be the president," Lizzie has to know.

"That depends on the elections," Penny tells her little sister. "Because like mom and dad told you, the people can choose. And some people don't like Dad."

Lizzie clearly thinks that those people are stupid, and that warms her heart. Even though they do not get to spend a lot of time with Gabe these days, they are still obviously very proud of him, and they love him very much. Ten minutes now take forever.

"Guess who's home," she can hear his voice outside the front door.

"It's Daddy," Lizzie rushes to the door and throws it wide open.

He is indeed standing in front of the door – the cab has just driven off and he is left carrying all of his bags with the brightest of grins on his face. She lets the kids jump on top of him first, because she does not know just how she will respond when she finally gets to be with him again. There might be tears, and she does not want her children to see her cry anymore – they cannot do a single thing to help her.

"Hello darlings," he is smiling at them, letting them carry his bags in. "Hello love."

Then he's here – he is actually with her again. He wraps his arms around her and holds her tight, and that is just what she needs at that moment. His warmth makes everything better, and when he plants a kiss on her lips, she has trouble letting go.

Still, they can't do too much of that in front of the kids.

"Kissing is gross," Sammy scrunches up his face, making his sisters giggle.

"Hello buddy," Gabe holds out his fist for a pound.

Sammy thinks he's too old and too cool to get hugs and kisses, and they indulge that as much as they can, because they both know that he's vocal enough to let them know when he feels like crap and does want hugs and kisses, and also that he will grow out of that at some point. And the girls will always want her hugs and kisses.

"I'll go put them to bed," Gabriel kisses her again, and he lingers a bit longer this time.

It has been a long time for both of them, and she wants nothing more than to climb into bed with him and lock the door until they're finally sated again – but with three kids and no one else to look after them, that is completely impossible.

"I already called Grant," he calls over his shoulder. "And since uncle Grant is amazing, he is going to come over tomorrow morning, and bring breakfast for the kids and drive them to school. They will even get to have a sleepover at his place if they want, after school tomorrow. Mom and Dad can talk about the mean people on the news."

Actually, Grant is taking the kids away from the house so Mom and Dad can bang like they are still in college – in their own apartment with no nosy roommates or kids who can come in at any time. They can finally have some time for themselves.

"Thanks, Lips," she shouts up at him, over the giggling of the kids.

Since she feels like being silly and superficial, she checks out her reflection in the hallway mirror, just to make sure that she looks nice and that her tears have not made her look blotchy and messy. If they are finally going to have some personal time, she wants it to be when he cannot keep his eyes off her because somehow he still thinks that she is gorgeous and sexy even after almost twenty years together. Then again, she still thinks that he is the most gorgeous thing she has ever seen – the man has only gotten better with age, like a fine wine. He is going to be the hottest president ever.

She does not even want to think about the dirty fanfiction that will be written about him as soon as he wins the election – because she just knows that he will win.

"If you fall asleep really soon, you'll see uncle Grant sooner," she hears Gabe promise.

"Nice trick," she mumbles under her breath.

Of course it works for him, when it never works for her – the kids are wise to all of her tricks at this point, because she is usually the one tucking them in at night before finishing up her work papers – she only works part-time but the enormous mountains of paperwork her job entails still take forever to get through. She does not want it to take away from her time with the children, so she does the work on her night home alone.

"And they are off to dream land," Gabe rushes downstairs.

"And we are off to bed," she grins at him, pulling him along by his fancy tie.

He is happily going along with it, trying to undress her on the way up the stairs to their room – luckily on the completely opposite side of the house as the kids' rooms. She wants to at least wait until they start leaving a trail of clothes, because the kids do not need to see that and be scarred for life – it would amuse the shit out of Grant, though.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," he tells her, locking the door to their room behind him. "The people in D.C. – there is just nobody there even remotely like you, and that is the worst part of life there. I miss seeing your face in the mornings and before I go to bed, and I miss seeing the kids every day. It is not even just about the sex, though I miss that too, Sexy. I'd love for you to go on the campaign trail with me."

She kisses him, longingly and lengthily, then actually starts to ponder his offer and what it would mean for the two of them and what it would mean for their family. She could spend more time with him, and she could finally be open about her life again, rather than hiding at her job and in the house with the kids. She has not been seen in public with her husband in years, and she hates that. It was her own decision at the time, because she did not want her identity and her family to hinder his political aspirations. Still, she is tired of being the hidden and sidelined wife. She wants to support him.

"I can't travel too much," she is trying to keep her own identity. "The kids can't be left alone for that long, and I don't want to stop doing work of my own."

When she started to work for Social Services, she knew that she was doing it to make a difference in the lives of children just like her. She wants to continue doing that, but she also knows that it is not going to be possible when her husband becomes the most important man in the country. There are going to be so many obligations then, and her job will fall by the wayside, and those children will have one less person to help them.

"Volunteer work," she interrupts her thoughts. "I can still do that."

He is practically naked, smiling at her so proudly, still looking so much like that student she fell in love with once upon a time. He is only wearing boxers, and she is mostly clothed because she distracted herself from her beautiful husband.

"Let's think about that tomorrow," he is helping her remove her clothes.

"Let's," she agrees, smiling widely.

She is giggling like a teenage girl, and she is just so happy. She never thought that she would ever be here, with a loving husband and three wonderful kids – still happy after almost twenty years together.

He was right. They did make it after all.

Bonus feature:

_The future president's inspiring wife: an exclusive interview with Eponine Enjolras_

_By Angelica Lancaster_

AL: First of all, I would like to thank you very much for choosing our magazine for your exclusive interview.

EE: Of course. I'm a big fan of your articles on equality in the workplace.

AL: That is very kind of you to say. So, you have recently gone from a relatively anonymous life to a life that places you in the spotlight all of the time. How has your daily life changed because of this?

EE: I have had to quit my job working with Social Services, which is something I have always been passionate about. However, I have enjoyed meeting many of the people that Gabe [Eponine's husband Gabriel Enjolras ed.] has told me about over the years, and the people at the rallies are often so lovely. They all have their stories, you know.

AL: I understand that you have a story of your own.

EE: Doesn't everyone?

AL: Did the leaked video of your student protest have anything to do with your decision to become a more prominent figure in your husband's campaign?

EE: I would be lying if I said that was not true. The media was painting this picture that had very little to do with me and a lot to do with who my parents are.

AL: So, your parents are indeed the infamous Thenardiérs?

EE: Yes, they are.

AL: Did this affect your childhood in any way?

EE: You must understand, children do not really notice that their parents are doing something wrong. I was starting to understand that something was not normal when they asked some silly favors, but I was only thirteen when they were arrested, and my siblings were even younger. We did not know what had happened for a long time.

AL: And you were a foster child?

EE: Yes, the three of us were put in foster care, since we did not have relatives who could take care of us. My siblings got adopted after about three years in foster care, but I stayed in a home until I was eighteen and got a college scholarship.

AL: Are you still in touch with your siblings?

EE: I'm still very close with my brother. His wife is expecting their second child, so I'm pretty much attached to my phone until the baby's here.

AL: You have three children of your own?

EE: Gabriel and I have two girls and one boy.

AL: Can you tell us about them?

EE: Penelope is twelve, and she is really ready for middle school. Samuel is ten and he loves to play soccer. Elizabeth, or Lizzie, is seven and she loves to sing, all of the time.

AL: How do they feel about all of this?

EE: They think it's amazing that their father is going to be the president of the entire country, and they're excited to move into the White House. They don't really understand why the media people do not seem to like me much, and they will viciously defend me to anyone who says anything. You might have seen the picture of my eldest.

AL: The one with the water gun?

EE: Yes, that one. A college friend of Gabe's and mine gave her that idea. He said that it would ruin the shot, but not actually ruin the camera. So she went for it the next time someone asked an impertinent question about me.

AL: How did your husband feel about that?

EE: He was secretly proud, but we did talk to our friend about it, and we had to tell him to not give them any more ideas. He did not take that too well.

AL: You met your husband in college, right?

EE: We met through mutual friends, yes. Our friend Marcus [Justice Marcus Murphy ed.] told him that he should talk to me some time. We ended up going away together for the summer. We took a road trip to New York, and we visited my siblings.

AL: Is that when your relationship started?

EE: Yes, we fell in love that summer. It sure surprised our friends when we got back, because we always appeared to be so different.

AL: Well, some of your videos from your trip have leaked, and people are starting to form opinions about your relationship.

EE: Okay, I will tell you some things. He realized his feelings first, but I was not ready to deal with it yet. Naturally, I made the first move, because he continued to respect my wishes, like a true gentleman.

AL: That is lovely.

EE: Yeah, he is very lovely. And, I got off topic, I'm sorry.

AL: And where does the protest video fit in?

EE: That video was taken shortly after our road trip. We were already together, but it was still relatively new to the people on campus. You can imagine.

AL: Oh, yes, I definitely can. Was your last name known at the time?

EE: No, I spent most of my time at college hiding my last name. I told Gabe pretty soon into our trip, and after that he covered for me whenever I needed. We told people we were married a few times, even before we actually were married, because people just wanted to know my name and it was not a good idea to tell them.

AL: Are you ashamed of your family?

EE: I'm not so much ashamed anymore. I am deeply sorry for what my parents have done to people, but I am not my parents and there is nothing that I can actually do about it. My parents are never going to be sorry for their crimes, unfortunately.

AL: Are you still in contact with your family?

EE: My mother calls occasionally, but I rarely pick up. I haven't seen my father or heard from him since he got arrested. My sister used to be in contact with them a lot, but I think that's over as well.

AL: Is there anything else that you would like to talk about?

EE: I am curious to see what the future will bring. I want to thank you for being so kind throughout this interview. I look forward to talking with you again in the future.

AL: Thank you very much.

AN: Words will not be able to express how grateful I am for every single one of you who managed to stick with me this far. Everyone who reads this, whether it's right as it comes out or in the future (what's it like there?), has my thanks. Everyone has been wonderful. I love you all.

I'm still pondering on my next foray into E/E fanfiction. There are a few oneshots and prompt fills ahead, but nothing real as to a full fic. There are some ideas in my head, and I have some first chapters, but I want to figure that out first.

Feel free to message me at any time to ask me about me/my fic/my ship, etc. Hang out with me on Tumblr (textsfromumbridge) or Twitter (dutchmoxie). Prompt me or ask me questions at my (dutchmoxie).

I love you all! It has been a pleasure writing this story!

THE END!


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